Lola Barton, Master of Death?
by curlyteeful
Summary: The BlackHawk baby goes missing, but when a mysterious witch show up to help locate the Tesseract, the Avengers are sure they know her from somewhere. Who is she, and why is Loki so interested in her? Blackhawk, Pepperony, and some other pairings I haven't figured out yet. Fem!Harry. M just to be safe!
1. Prologue

**A/N: OOOHHHMYYYGOODDD, I AM SOO EXCITED FOR THIS! I FEEL LIKE THAT LITTLE GIRL FROM "DESPICABLE ME" WHEN SHE GETS THE STUFFED UNICORN!**

**This is my first fanfiction, so please be gentle with me while I try to figure out all of the magic that is !**

**I would like to thank SlyLittleLuna1234, who's story "Blackhawk Potter" inspired this story, for graciously allowing me to play around with her idea! **

**Now, lets get to the good stuff!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own, nor will I ever own, Harry Potter or Marvel's The Avengers. If I did, Harry Potter would be close to exactly the same, except I wouldn't kill Fred or Dobby, even at gunpoint. The Avengers, however, would be a big smutfest, because some of those characters are fine pieces of ass!**

* * *

In a spacious nursery somewhere in New York City, six unlikely people gathered around a crib.

"Good Lord, can you believe she's already a month old?" Natasha said to no one in particular.

"I'm still upset you didn't name her after me," replied Tony indignantly, "Charlotte Nikola? Really?"

That earned him a dangerous glare from Natasha.

"You're jonesing for a thigh choke there, Stark," Clint snorted before casting his eyes down to the sleeping baby. "Besides we've told you several times. We're naming her after my mother, and you should be grateful you even get to be godfather."

"Everyone in here is going to be a godfather!" Tony said, his voice rising, "I'm-"

"Shh!" Steve shushed the billionaire.

"You'll wake the young Lady Barton," Thor chastised in an uncharacteristically quiet moment.

Bruce nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

"Like I was saying," Tony continued in a much quieter tone, "I should be held in a higher position than godfather because I am responsible for the Hawkbaby's existence. Who do you think told you guys to get your heads out of your asses and acknowledge the sexual tension between you two?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Did you spend twelve straight hours pushing her out of your vagina?"

Steve turned beet red at the thought. You could take the guy out of the 40's, but you couldn't take the 40's out of the guy.

"No, no, no, Nat," Clint cut in. "Stark can give himself twelve percent of the credit."

The whole group dissolved into silent laughter as Tony glared.

"That joke is NOT funny anymore!"

"On the contrary, Man of Iron," Thor replied, wiping tears from his eyes. "That joke is ALWAYS funny."

Their attention turned back to the baby, who stirred, but didn't wake.

They were silent for a moment until Steve asked, "Is it weird that she still seems so small?"

"She's supposed to be small, Capsicle, she's a _baby_. But, just wait until she's like, seventeen, with Natasha's body and-"

"No, Stark!" Clint whisper-yelled, "No boys! Ever!"

"Even if it means getting to crack a few skulls and shis kebob some idiots with arrows?"

"NO!"

"It's a good thing we don't have to worry about that for-" Bruce started to say, but before he could finish, a white flash erupted in the room, knocking them all away from the crib.

Natasha found herself slammed into a wall, while Steve and Thor actually went through it. Bruce hit the door hard enough to splinter it, and was working on not Hulking out, and Clint and Tony were immediately knocked out upon hitting the wall opposite Natasha.

The noises had woken Charlotte, and she immediately began to wail.

Natasha forced her eyes open painfully, and scrambled to her feet, ignoring the urge to bend over and throw up. Upon seeing a stranger standing over her daughters crib, she pulled a pistol out of her thigh holster.

"If you know what's good for you," said Natasha in a deadly tone, pointing the gun at the strangers back, "You will move away from my daughter. Far, far away."

"And risk hitting your child?" the stranger asked in a British accent, waving his hand.

Natasha fired a shot at the strangers head, but an invisible force hit her, slamming her back hard against the wall, causing her shot to fly into the ceiling.

A dull pounding and moving dots took over in Natasha's head, and the last thing she remembered before her vision went black was the excruciating sight of the stranger picking her wailing daughter up and disappearing into thin air.

This, Natasha knew, was a scene that would haunt her until her dying day.

* * *

Professor Albus Dumbledore breezed into the Order meeting. As always, he commanded the attention in the sitting room at Grimmauld Place, so it wasn't long before the focus in the room had turned to the child he held.

"Ummm, Albus?" Lily Potter née Evans asked tentatively.

"Yes, Lily?" Albus replied, turning his gaze to her.

"Well…" she said, her eyes cutting to the sleeping infant. "Why is there…should that…whose child…"

"Bloody hell," Sirius Black muttered under his breath before speaking up for Lily in an exasperated tone. "Why is there a baby here?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, although no one was really sure why. "I found her abandoned on the doorstep of a Muggle orphanage-"

"You were in a Muggle orphanage for what reason?" Remus asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"I found myself craving Muggle chocolate," Dumbledore replied simply, as if it explained everything.

The room was dead quiet, and upon realizing that his explanation did not suffice, Dumbledore continued, "I Apparated to an alley in Muggle London, near which is an orphanage. Upon my return from the candy store, I heard crying, and went to investigate. I happened upon a basket which held the child and this note. Would you mind, Lily?"

He handed the baby off to Lily, who cooed at the sleeping infant. Dumbledore pulled out a piece of folded paper, unfolded it and began to read, "'_Charlotte Nikola, born August 12__th__ of this year, 1994. We cannot take care of her, but we do love her with all of our hearts_.'"

No sooner had Dumbledore finished reading than Frank Longbottom stood, grabbing the paper out of his hands. Frank's eyes scanned the note angrily as he cried, "Are you mad, Albus? Bringing an infant Muggle into our midst? What were you thinking?"

The rest of the Order looked up at Dumbledore expectantly.

Dumbledore sighed, before conjuring a chair for himself and sitting in it. "I sense a great deal of power within this child," he said quietly, gazing at the child in Lily's arms. "With the right guidance, she could be our savior. All we need is someone to care for her."

James and Lily glanced at each other. So many emotions passed through that one look, that when James said, "We'll take her," he didn't even look at Dumbledore.

Albus nodded, smiling.

This was all going perfectly to plan.

* * *

**1 YEAR LATER**

Lily Potter gripped thirteen-month old Charlotte Potter in her arms as spun as hard as she could.

Nothing happened.

"Oh, God," she whimpered, her voice breaking. "Please don't let this be happening! Please! OH-"

She screamed as the door was blown off its hinges, causing Charlotte to look up at her in blatant alarm.

Why, oh why did she have to leave her wand downstairs?

As gently as she could with shaking hands, Lily set Charlotte in her crib and turned to face the hooded figure that had swept into the room.

"_Give me the girl!" _a high-pitched voice hissed.

"No!" Lily cried, pressing her body against the crib. "Please, don't do this, I'll do anything, please-"

"_Step aside, Mudblood. Your blood-traitor husband is already dead, defeated even with a wand. What can you expect to do without one? Step aside, Lily Potter, and you may be spared."_

Tears poured down Lily's cheeks as she shook her head violently. "N-n-no, take me, _please,_" she begged, "Just let my Charlotte live, _please, _I beg of you, _please._"

The hooded figure gave a cold, hollow laugh. _"As you wish, Mudblood. Avada Kedavra!"_

A bright green flash, and Lily Potter was dead before she hit the floor, green eyes open, yet unseeing.

The figure stepped carelessly over Lily's body to the crib where Charlotte Nikola Potter had watched the whole scene without so much as a whimper.

The figure raised his wand once more, as Charlotte Potter stared at him curiously.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

A bright green flash, but this time it was not the intended target who fell.

The hooded figure fell to his knees, letting out an inhuman scream of agony as his body disintegrated into naught but a pile of dust.

In her crib, Charlotte Nikola Potter sat back on her bum and began to cry as a faint, but definite, lightning shaped scar appeared on her forehead.

* * *

**A/N: Please feed me reviews!**


	2. The Prince and His Lily

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for all of the reviews! I honestly enjoy reading them, and using them to improve my writing as a whole, so anything that you've got, from spelling errors to inconsistencies in the story, please tell me! **

**This chapter is mostly the scene with the Pensieve from DH, but it's definitely worth reading! All of Snape's memories are technically "there" but I just didn't want to bore you guys by writing the unimportant ones, because in DH a whole chapter is dedicated to Harry watching Snape's memories. That chapter is actually one of my favorites, but I didn't have an interest in retyping the whole thing.**

**In my version of the HP series, everything important is pretty much the same, but Fred doesn't die and it's Lola who gets tortured in Malfoy Manor. The torture scene I've used is the one from the movie, because the emotional/physical scarring that goes along with having the word "Mudblood" carved into her arm is going to come up later for Lola. To clear up any confusion, everyone knows that Lola is adopted, and in my version of the series, the Ministry has devised a test to determine what kind of wizard you are, so that's how it's figured out that Lola is biologically Muggleborn. It sounds very cheesy, I know, but this is my world, where everything cheesy is allowed, including pizza.**

**I haven't written in that scene yet for my own reasons, but it will come out, I just wanted you guys to know that for future reference.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Harry Potter or Marvel's The Avengers. The idea behind this story really isn't mine either. That belongs to SlyLittleLuna1234, who kindly allowed me to take a swing at this whole fanfiction-writing-thing using her plotbunny.**

**Let me just tell you that if I did own either, HP wouldn't change much, but Loki would have taken over the world because all the other characters were too busy bumpin' uglies.**

**Now, on to the good stuff!**

* * *

_For seventeen years after the disappearance of Charlotte Barton, the Avengers steadily grew apart, until the tension was so great and the members so uncooperative, that the Avengers Initiative was disbanded by the Council, a decision Nick Fury surprisingly deemed "not a stupid ass decision," and therefore chose not to ignore it._

_Charlotte Barton grew up as Charlotte Nikola "Lola" Potter in a cupboard under the stairs at 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, but was later discovered to be the Girl Who Lived._

_Upon reaching her fifteenth birthday, Lola moved out of the Dursley household and became an emancipated minor living at one of the many Potter estates._

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…_

_Born to those who will lose her…_

_Given to those who have thrice defied him…_

_Born as the seventh month dies, and found as the eighth month does as well…_

_And the Dark Lord will mark her as his equal, but she will have power neither the Dark Lord or higher beings know of…_

_And either must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live while the other survives…_

_The one with the power to vanquish seemingly immortal beings will be born as the seventh month dies…_

**SIXTEEN YEARS LATER**

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Nikola "Lola" Potter watched in horror as her former Potions Master lay dying.

She didn't know why she was doing it, but, to Hermione's and Ron's protests, she moved into the room.

She stared down at Snape and felt sick as she saw Snape's white face and the fingers trying to staunch the bloody wound at his neck. Lola took off the Invisibility Cloak and looked down upon the man she had hated, but now only pitied, whose widening black eyes found Lola as he tried to speak. Lola bent over him; and Snape seized the front of her shirt and pulled her close.

A terrible rasping, gurgling noise issued from Snape's throat.

"Take…it…Take…it…"

Silvery blue, neither gas nor liquid, gushed alongside the blood from his mouth and his ears and his eyes, and Lola knew what it was, but did not know what to do-

A flask, conjured from thin air, was thrust into her surprisingly calm hands by Hermione. Lola lifted the silvery substance into it with her wand. When the flask was full to the brim, and Snape looked as though there was no blood left in him, his grip on Lola slackened.

"Lily…"

Lola's eyes found Snape's, but after a second something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank and empty. The hand holding Lola thudded to the floor, and Snape moved no more.

Lola remained kneeling at Snape's side, simply staring down at him, until quite suddenly a high, cold voice spoke so close to them that Lola jumped to her feet, thinking that Voldemort had re-entered the room.

Voldemort's voice reverberated from the walls and floor, and Lola realized he was talking to Hogwarts and to all the surrounding area, that the residents of Hogsmeade and all those still fighting in the castle would hear him as clearly as if he stood beside them, his breath on the back of their neck, a death blow away.

_"You have all fought valiantly," _said the high, cold voice, _"Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery._

_"Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste._

_"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately._

_"You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured._

_"I speak now, Charlotte Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Charlotte Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you from me. _

_"One hour."_

* * *

Lola burst into the circular office; all of the portraits that hung around the walls were empty.

Even the one she had hoped would not be.

Why was Dumbledore not there? She had so many questions, so many unanswered questions, which seemed so insignificant now, but they had bothered her for so long…

_One hour._

Lola pushed her questions to the back of her mind and moved quickly to the Pensieve, dumping the contents of the flask into the bowl. The last drop had barely hit the surface before Lola was shoving her head into the memories and falling down, down, down, into the sunlight where her feet found warm grass.

_"You're…you're a witch," whispered a young Snape._

_Lola recognized a younger version of Lily Evans, who looked quite affronted at the assumption. _

_"_That's _not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"_

_Lola fought the urge to laugh as Lily turned, nose in the air, and marched off towards her sister._

_"No!" said Snape. He was blushing furiously now, and Lola gave into her laughter at the sight of her stoic Potions Master in such a tizzy. He flapped after the girls, looking ludicrously bat-like, much like his older self…_

* * *

_"Well, Severus? What message does Lord Voldemort have for me?"_

_"No- no message – I'm here on my own account."_

_Snape was wringing his hands: he looked a little mad, with his straggling, black hair flying around him._

_"I come with a warning- no, a request- please-"_

_Dumbledore flicked his wand. Though leaves and branches still flew through the night air around them, silence fell on the spot where he and Snape faced each other._

_"What request could a Death Eater make of me?"_

_"T-the prophecy…the prediction…Trelawney…"_

_"Ah, yes," said Dumbledore. "How much did you relay to Lord Voldemort?"_

_"Everything – everything I heard!" said Snape. "That is why – it is for that reason – he thinks it means Lily Evans!"_

_"Yes, but the prophecy referred to a girl born at the end of July –"_

_"You know what I mean! He thinks it means the girl, he is going to hunt her down – kill them all –"_

_"If she means so much to you," said Dumbledore, not at all referring to the girl when he spoke, "surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the daughter?"_

_Lola's eyebrows raised at Dumbledore's words, but what Snape said next nearly had her retching._

_"I have – I have asked him –"_

_"You disgust me," said Dumbledore, and Lola had never heard so much contempt in his voice. Snape seemed to shrink a little. "You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?"_

_Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at Dumbledore._

_"Hide them all then," he croaked. "Keep her – them – safe. Please."_

_"And what will you give me in return, Severus?"_

_"In – in return…Anything."_

_"He'll use you," Lola told the fading figure sarcastically. "Just you wait and see."_

_The hilltop faded and Lola stood in Dumbledore's office, and something was making a terrible sound, like a wounded animal. Snape was slumped forwards in a chair, and Dumbledore was standing over him, looking grim. After a moment or two, Snape raised his face, and he looked like a man who had lived a hundred years of misery since leaving the wild hilltop._

_"I thought…you were going…to keep her…safe…"_

_"She and James put their faith in the wrong person. Rather like you, Severus. Weren't you hoping that Lord Voldemort would spare her?"_

_Snape's breathing was shallow._

_"Her daughter survives," said Dumbledore._

_"That is not her daughter!" Snape's head shot up at Dumbledore's words. "Do you not recall, Albus, that I was there the night you brought in the child and she took her in? I know what you did that night Albus, she is someone else's child that you stole and pushed upon the Lily Potter for safekeeping!"_

_Lola sank to her knees and watched in horror as Dumbledore justified his actions._

_"She is needed here. She is to be our savior! Besides, in Lily and James's actions that night, I think you'll find that Charlotte is Lily Potter's daughter. It was Lily Potter's love that protected Charlotte Potter from Voldemort, that alone is proof."_

_"Bloody Dumbledore!" Lola screamed at the old man. "You bastard!"_

_He did not respond._

* * *

_"Are you intending to let him kill you?" asked Snape with raised eyebrows._

_"Certainly not. You must kill me."_

* * *

_"Tell her that on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill her, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield, the Killing Curse rebounded upon Lord Voldemort, and a fragment of Voldemort's soul was blasted apart from the whole, and latched itself onto the only living soul left in that collapsed building. Part of Voldemort lives inside Charlotte, and it is that which gives her the power of speech with snakes, and a connection with Voldemort's mind that she has never understood. And while that fragment of soul, unmissed by Voldemort, remains attached to, and protected by Charlotte, Lord Voldemort cannot die."_

_Lola's insides began to twist painfully, and she knew it wasn't from the use of her full name. Their voices echoed in her ears, and she thought she would faint._

_"So…the girl must die?" asked Snape in a surprisingly calm manner._

_"And Voldemort must do it himself, Severus. That is essential."_

_Another long silence. Then, Snape, who seemed to have become quite angry in the few seconds of silence, said, "I thought that we were protecting her all these years for her. For Lily."_

_"We have protected her because it has been essential to teach her, to raise her, to let her try her strengths. Meanwhile, the connection between them grows stronger, a parasitic growth: sometimes I think she suspects it herself. If I know her, she will have arranged matters so that when she does set out to meet her death, it will truly mean the end of Voldemort."_

_"Why not just have let him kill me then, eh?" Lola shouted. "Why let me do all the work, why make me find out now?"_

_But, as infuriated as she was, as much as she hated Dumbledore in that very moment, she knew why. _

_Snape looked horrified._

_"You've kept her alive so the she can die at the right moment? You have used me."_

_"OH, NOW YOU FIGURE IT OUT?" Lola had stepped in front of Snape and was yelling in his face, the fact that he could not react only making her angrier. "I TOLD YOU! HE USES EVERYONE! BLOODY – "_

_"Meaning?"_

_"I have spied for you, and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger. Everything was supposed to keep Lily Potter's supposed daughter safe. Now you tell me you have been raising her like a pig for slaughter –"_

_"But this is touching, Severus. Have you grown to care for the girl after all?"_

_"For the girl?" shouted Snape. "Expecto patronum!"_

_Lola turned to watch as the silver doe burst from the tip of his wand: she landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office and soared out the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape. Lola's eyes brimmed with tears._

_"After all this time?"_

_"Always."_

* * *

**A/N: Please review!**

**Also, this just crossed my mind. I already know who I would want my characters to be played by in a movie (most of them are the same actors as they would be in this movie) so would you guys want a sort of cast list included in the next chapter's A/N, or would that totally ruin the whole story for you guys?**


	3. Birds, Manipulators, and Newfound Powers

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the reviews! There isn't any Lola/Avengers interaction in this chapter, and I am soooooo sorry for that, because I really don't want to keep you waiting for too long! I promise, there will be some by the chapter after the next one, AT THE VERY LATEST! Cross my heart and hope to die, swear on Fred Weasley's grave!**

**Ranmyaku Kiritsu: Thanks for the advice on the whole "Show not tell" thing. It's actually a really big obstacle for me when it comes to writing, so it's always something I'm working to improve on. Plus I totally agree with you on the spelling of definite/defiant! Totally a pet peeve of mine.**

**Harlequin Shadow: I'm really excited for that too, to be perfectly honest, and I'm the one writing the story! I hope you'll enjoy it, and I'll have a "cast list" of sorts up at the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I wrote to JK Rowling asking if she could give me the rights to Harry Potter. She never wrote back, so don't assume that I own HP. Let's just say that I don't own The Avengers either, because we all know what would happen if I owned them.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

When the memories were over, Lola was thrown out of the Pensieve onto shaky and unstable legs.

"Holy fuck," she whispered to herself as her legs gave way and she collapsed to the carpet, puking what little food Aberforth had given her before she, Hermione and Ron had gone through the tunnel to the Room of Requirements onto the plush carpet of the circular office.

_I'm going to die._

And there it was. The blatant and whole truth, laid out before Lola's eyes. She was never supposed to survive past adolescence, and, yet, here she was, expected to just walk herself to her own death? How could she do this? Better yet, how could _Dumbledore _do what he did?

He'd taken her, left her to the Durselys, and when she'd been old enough, he'd manipulated her for years, even after he died. Had he even planned on ever telling her who her biological parents were? That they weren't really unable to take care of her, as she'd been led to believe?

Lola stared up at the empty portrait where her former headmaster should have been with more hatred than she ever thought she could muster towards one person. All things considered, she even felt more pity towards Voldemort than hatred.

"How could you do this to me?" she shouted at the empty painting. "You lying bastard! You knew! You knew all of seventeen years, and you never even saw fit to say something along the lines of, 'Hey, Charlotte! You're not going to live past seventeen, oh and by the way, it wasn't that your parents couldn't take care of you! I BLOODY STOLE YOU FROM THEM!' I hope you rot in hell!"

With that, Lola burst into tears, and it wasn't the knowledge that she was about to die that pushed her over the edge. In some small part of her, Lola had always known that she wouldn't be surviving, and she suspected that Hermione had always known as well.

The final straw that broke the camel's back was the betrayal. Dumbledore had _known _who her parents were; he had taken her from them and twisted the history so that she could be utilized for some higher purpose. She had been turned into a pawn, and Dumbledore, the man she had thought she could trust, had been the chess master.

The sickest part was that even after the truth came out, Lola was still willing to march to her own death. It was the only way to secure the safety of everyone she knew and loved; the only way to ensure that Voldemort was stopped once and for all.

_One hour…_

The tears had stopped.

The puking had stopped.

Lola wiped her face as she stood, glaring at the portrait once more before leaving the circular office.

* * *

"It's me," Lola said, feeling surprisingly calm. "I'm the last Horcrux."

"NO!" Hermione launched herself at Lola, Ron following closely behind, looking more than a little green. "There has to be another way, please, Lola, _please –"_

"Herms, you and I both know that there is no bloody book that is going to have any sort of potion or spell to magically remove the Horcrux from me –"

"We could still try," Ron said quietly.

Lola looked up at him, noticing through the tears in her eyes for the first time how much he had grown in the last seven years. "Are you volunteering to go to the library? Now?"

"You know I would for you," he replied before wrapping both her and Hermione in a hug that could only be managed by an offspring of Molly Weasley.

"I-I-I'll g-g-go with y-y-you!" Hermione sobbed, burrowing her not-quite-so-bushy-anymore head into Lola's shoulder.

"You can't…you can't," Lola whispered. "You have to kill _him_."

She kissed Hermione on the cheek, before tilting her head up to do the same to Ron.

Lola pulled out of their combined embraces.

"I love you both. You two were the best friends I could ever ask for."

With that, she was running down the stairs and out the heavy wooden doors, not having the strength to bear looking back.

* * *

"Neville!"

The boy – no, _man, _for they had all become adults in the last few years – looked up in surprise as Lola ran up to him.

"Blimey, Lola, you nearly gave me heart failure! Where are you headed off to – surely, not to – "

Lola covered his moving mouth with one hand. "Neville, there's no _time,_" she said quickly, "You have to kill Nagini. The snake, do you understand? You have to kill the snake. It's all that's left, and then it's just _him. _Hermione and Ron both know, but just in case they can't, _you have to do it, _do you understand?"

When Neville nodded, Lola uncovered his mouth and kissed him on the cheek.

"You've been a great friend."

Then she was gone, before Neville could react.

* * *

Suddenly, Lola was at the edge of the Forest. Here, her pace slowed, and she knew she was clinging to memories…

Her trembling fingers went into her pockets. The Snitch, the one she'd caught during her first Quidditch game, the one she'd almost swallowed trying to catch it…

_I open at the close._

This was it.

With fingers that had suddenly gone calm, she pressed the Snitch to her lips and whispered, "I am about to die."

The metal shell broke open. Underneath the Cloak, she lifted the wand she'd stolen from Draco and muttered, "_Lumos."_

Within the two halves of the Snitch was the black stone with the jagged crack running down the middle, representing the Elder Wand, and the triangle and the circle, that represented the Cloak and the stone.

She closed her eyes and turned the stone over in her hands three times.

The slight shifting of twigs had Lola opening her eyes.

"You've been so brave."

Lily Potter, who was even more beautiful than any picture could capture.

Sirius who looked young, handsome and just as mischievous as she'd remembered him.

Remus, who lacked most of his scars, but still had that same indiscernible look about him.

Then James, whose glasses were lopsided and hair untidy, stepped forward, smiling. "You are nearly there," he said. "Very close. We are…so proud of you."

The question that had been burning on Lola's mind for the past seven years slipped from her lips, addressing Lily, James and Sirius the most.

"Would it have meant more if I had been your biological daughter? Dying for me, I mean?"

Lily's smile never shifted, but a hint of sadness took over her eyes.

"Darling, I think you know the answer to that. _Of course not._"

Then, Lola turned to Remus. "I'm so sorry, Remus…your son…_Teddy..."_

"I am sorry, too," Remus replied. "Sorry I will never know him…but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand. I was trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life."

Lola nodded, before looking to Sirius.

"I never did get a chance to thank you for punching Lucius Malfoy in the face."

He grinned.

"I did tell him to get away from my goddaughter. The git had it coming."

And then Lola knew it was time. They knew it too, but they would never tell her to go. She had to do it on her own.

"You'll stay with me?"

"Until the very end," said James.

"They won't be able to see you?"

"We are part of you," said Sirius. "Invisible to anyone else."

"Stay close to me," Lola said quietly.

They travelled for minutes, until they came upon a clearing, where Voldemort was surrounded by his Death Eaters. Every eye was fixed on him, and he stood with his head bowed and white hands folded over the Elder Wand. Nagini lay quietly at his feet, the way a dog would sit vigilant near its master.

_"I thought she would come," _Voldemort said. _"I expected her to come."_

Lola's heart thudded against her chest as she pulled the Invisibility Cloak off and shoved it into the pocket with the Undetectable Extension Charm Hermione had cast upon it. On a second thought, she put her wand in as well.

_"It was, it seems…mistaken."_

And then, Lola stood, letting the Resurrection Stone slip from between her sweating fingers and watching from the corner of her eye as her parents, Sirius and Remus vanished.

"You weren't."

Cries, gasps, even laughter coming from a disheveled Bellatrix Lestrange. A muffled yelling coming from the direction where Hagrid had been tied to a tree and silenced.

A mirthless smile graced the lipless mouth of Voldemort as he and Lola looked at one another. His head tilted a fraction to the side.

_"Charlotte Potter," _he said very quietly. _"The girl who lived."_

Everything was still, waiting. The only things moving were Hagrid, struggling against his ties, and the thudding of Lola's heart against her chest.

_"Come to die?"_

Voldemort raised his wand.

Lola stared into the red eyes as the mouth moved.

A flash of green and everything was gone.

* * *

_When Lola's eyes opened, her cheek and body was pressed against the cool feeling of grass in the early morning. Slowly, she turned onto her back and sat up._

_She was on a Quidditch pitch, only it was whole and undamaged, not battle ravaged like the last time she had seen it. Three stoic goalposts stood at either end of the pitch, and Lola was surrounded by thousands of empty wooden bleachers. _

_Lola inhaled the soft scent of fresh-cut grass and looked down at herself, expecting to find the bloodied, worn jeans and sweater she'd had on, with the battered and bruised body she'd acquired to accompany the clothing._

_What she found was a far cry from that. She found herself wearing a white shift dress that felt like cool silk and had the stretchy look of cotton. Her body was completely healed and scar-free, save the lightning bolt she felt upon touching her hand to her head._

_"Am I dead?" she asked aloud, tilting her head to the sky, as if the cloudless blue held all the answers._

_"No."_

_And there it was. That voice that Lola had begun to despise, the one that she couldn't escape even in – what was she in? A dream sequence? Limbo?_

_"I don't see how I can't not be dead," she replied coldly. "I did get hit with a Killing Curse, you know."_

_"Charlotte. You wonderful girl. You brave, brave woman."_

_Lola's blood began to boil as she looked over her shoulder at the man who'd used her, who'd manipulated her. "You lied to me."_

_Dumbledore nodded, not looking at all apologetic. "Yes."_

_She climbed to her feet, her anger rising at his audacity. "How could you?" she hissed. "You took me from my parents, without even having the decency, the _courage_, to tell me the truth."_

_He opened his mouth to speak, but Lola cut him off._

_"Don't. Just don't. The only thing I want to hear coming out of your mouth is an explanation on how I am not dead right now."_

_Dumbledore sighed, conjuring wooden chairs for himself and for her. As he folded himself into one, he gestured for Lola to do the same. Grudgingly, she complied, crossing an ankle over a knee and putting her hands in her lap._

_"I am dead," he said quite matter-of-factly._

_"Yes."_

_"You are not."_

_"But how?" cried Lola in exasperation. "I meant to let him kill me, I was willing to die –"_

_"You did," Dumbledore said, nodding excitedly, an infuriatingly broad smile on his face. "Go on."_

_"So then, the part of him that lives in me…" Lola continued slowly, "…has it gone?"_

_"Yes!" said Dumbledore. "Yes, he destroyed it. Your soul is whole, and completely your own, Charlotte."_

_"B-b-but, Voldemort, he used the Killing Curse. Nobody died for me, how can I be alive?"_

_"I think you know."  
Lola sat in silence for a moment. Her thoughts drifted to that night in the graveyard three years ago, when Voldemort had made his return…_

_"He took my blood. He took my mother's protection."_

_"Precisely!" said Dumbledore. "Voldemort tethered you to life while he lives."_

_Lola thought a moment longer._

_"And," Lola said slowly, "I am – I was the seventh Horcrux?"_

_"Yes, Charlotte, the one he never meant to make. He had rendered his soul so unstable by creating the previous six, that when he committed those acts of unspeakable evil that night, that his soul broke apart. What escaped from that room was less than he knew. He left part of himself latched to you._

_"And his knowledge remained woefully incomplete, Charlotte. That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children's tales, of love, loyalty and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he has never grasped._

_"He took your blood believing it would strengthen him, however his body keeps your mother's sacrifice alive, and while that enchantment survives, so do you and Voldemort's one last hope for himself."_

_Lola's legs unfolded themselves and she leaned forward in her chair. "And you knew this the whole time?" she hissed. _

_"I guessed," replied Dumbledore happily._

_They sat in silence for quite some time, Lola staring coldly at Dumbledore, and he seeming unaffected._

_"The Deathly Hallows."_

_She was incredibly glad to see the bloody smile wiped off his face. _

_"Can you forgive me?" he asked._

_"That depends on what you are asking forgiveness for," Lola replied coolly, folding her arms across her chest._

_"For not trusting you. For not telling you. Charlotte, I feared that you would make my mistakes. I have known, for some time, that you are the far better person."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"The Hallows, Charlotte, the Hallows!" Dumbledore murmured. "A desperate man's dream! I sought a way to conquer death."_

_"But, they're real," she said. _

_"Real, and dangerous, and a lure for fools," said Dumbledore. "And I was such a fool."_

_Lola's face was one of shock. "You tried to bring her back," she whispered. "Ariana."_

_Dumbledore nodded, for once seeming ashamed of himself. "It was the thing, above all, that drew Grindelwald and I together," he said quietly. "Two clever, arrogant boys with a shared obsession. He wanted to come to Godric's Hollow, as I am sure you have guessed, because of the grave of Ignotus Peverell. He wanted to explore the place where the third brother had died."_

_"So it's true, then? All of it? The Peverell brothers –"_

_"– were the three brothers of the tale." Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I believe so. Whether they met Death on a lonely road…I think it far more likely that the brothers were simply very gifted and highly dangerous wizards who succeeded in creating those powerful objects. The story of them being Death's own Hallows seems to me the sort of legend that might have sprung up around such creations."_

_A light bulb struck in Lola's mind. _

_"So, if the Cloak is passed down through the generations, then I –"_

_"Exactly," Dumbledore said rather sadly. "You are the last living descendant of Ignotus Peverell." _

_Of course. And, Lola knew how Dumbledore had come to be in the possession of the Cloak the night her parents had died. She also knew that the Cloak couldn't have made them curse-proof._

_A long silence._

_"And you won the wand from Grindelwald."_

_"Yes."_

_"And the Resurrection Stone," said Lola, "I'm assuming you tried to use it."_

_Dumbledore nodded. _

_"When I discovered it, after all those years, buried in the abandoned home of the Gaunts, the Hallow I had craved most of all – though in my youth I had wanted it for very different reasons – I lost my head, Charlotte. I quite forgot that it was now a Horcrux, that the ring was sure to carry a curse. I picked it up, and I put it on, and of a second I imagined that I was about to see Ariana, and my mother, and my father, and to tell them how very, very sorry I was…_

_"I was such a fool. After all those years, I had learned nothing. I was unworthy to unite the Deathly Hallows, I had proved it time and again, and here was final proof._

_"Maybe a man in a million could unite the Hallows. I was fit only to possess the least extraordinary, the Elder Wand, and only because I sought to save others from it. You are the true master of Death, because the true master does not seek to run away from Death. He, or she, accepts that they must die, and understands that there are far worse things in the living world than dying. I had thought that you would seek to seize the Hallows as I did, for the wrong reasons."_

_"Does Voldemort know about the Hallows?" Lola had sat back in her chair._

_"I assume not, because he never recognized the Resurrection Stone he turned into a Horcrux. And even if he did, he would have not been interested in the Hallows, save for the Elder Wand. He would not believe that he would need the Cloak, and, as for the stone, whom would he want to bring back from the dead? He does not love. He fears the dead."_

_"You expected him to go after the wand."_

_"Ever since your wand beat his in Little Hangleton. He was afraid that your skill had conquered his, until he kidnapped Ollivander and discovered the existence of the twin cores. But the borrowed wand did no better against yours. So Voldemort, instead of asking himself what quality it was in you that had made your wand so strong, what gift you possessed that he did not, set out to find the one wand that, they said would beat any other. He believes the Elder Wand removes his last weakness and makes him truly invincible."_

_"If you planned your own death, I'm guessing that you meant for Snape to end up with the Elder Wand."_

_"I admit that was my intention," said Dumbledore, "but it did not work as I intended, did it?"_

_"No."_

_They sat in silence for quite some time, until Lola said the inevitable, "I've got to go back."_

_"If you so choose. But, if you choose to go back, there is a chance that Voldemort will be finished for good. I cannot promise it, but you have far less to fear from returning here than he does."_

_Lola pushed herself slowly to her feet._

_"I will go back."_

_Dumbledore nodded._

_"But, know this. I will not be able to forgive you for many of the things you have held from me, the truth about my parents being at the top of that list."_

_Dumbledore stood as well and looked her straight in the eye, even as the bright mist began to descend over them._

_"That is fair. But I must give you a piece of advice. Do not pity the dead, Charlotte. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love."_

* * *

_This time, Lola woke up with a cheek pressed to on a cold couch. The left side of her body, which was still garbed in the white shift, was pressed into the black leather, while her front faced a spacious room, decorated entirely in black, white and purple._

_The floors were black and white checkered marble; the walls a deep shade of plum; the ceiling white washed a brilliant shade of white that matched all of the baseboards. The door was across the room from Lola, and painted a luxurious shade of black that complemented the black curtains covering what Lola assumed to be windows. A small table sat in the middle of the room, stained black, and one of it's two seats were occupied by a very beautiful woman who was sitting so that Lola could see her profile._

_The woman had pale skin, almost translucent like Voldemort's, but hers reminded Lola of the moon, bright and shining rather than the grey-green hue that Voldemort had. Her hair was long, so long that it almost fell to the floor, and was colored a shining shade of chocolate brown that made Lola jealous. Her features were sharp, proud; eyes wide; lips full and turned up in what appeared to be a serene expression._

_Suddenly she spoke, and the sound seemed to overtake the room, reverberating off of every corner, filling Lola's ears with the ethereal sound._

_"Mistress."_

_With that single word, Lola knew who she was speaking to._

_"Death," replied Lola, pushing herself to her feet. "This isn't really how I expected to first see you. That, and I expected you to be a man."_

_"I can take whatever form I wish, Mistress. This is simply the one I prefer. Does it displease you?"_

_Death had turned towards her with a slight smirk on her face, and Lola noticed for the first time that she had no pupils – instead, her eyes were a haunting shade of gold, and Lola had never been reminded more of Voldemort than she had in that moment –_

_"No. Why am I here? Am I dead? Dumbledore didn't lie to me again, did he?" Lola moved to stand in across the table from Death, and sat when Death gestured for her to do so._

_"No," Death sighed. "That isn't to say that he told you, or knew at all about, the whole truth."_

_"Meaning?"_

_"Meaning that he failed to inform you of your powers," replied Death. _

_Lola rubbed a hand over her face. "Powers?"_

_Death smirked._

_"Do you not recall the prophecy, Mistress? 'And she will have powers the Dark Lord knows not'?" Lola nodded quickly, and Death continued, "Upon your ascension into the role as my master, you acquired powers that only I know the full extent of."_

_"Care to explain?"_

_Death held a closed fist out to Lola and opened her palm. Inside laid a single pebble. "I want you to transform this into a bird. I assume you know the spell?"_

_Lola nodded confusedly. "Transfiguration isn't one of my good subjects, though. In fact, I'd say it was one of my worst."_

_Death smiled, and if her eyes hadn't been colored completely gold, and her lips a disturbing light color, Lola might have felt comforted. "Try."_

_"But I don't have my wand."_

_Death leaned forward. "Try."_

_Lola sighed, and focused all of her mind on the pebble in Death's palm. "Avifors," she whispered._

_The pebble exploded into a huge, green, squawking parrot, and Lola jumped out of her chair in surprise._

_Nodding, Death looked unsurprised at the result. "You understand?" she asked over the sound of the parrot, which immediately quieted when Death lifted a single finger and stroked the back of his head._

_"I can do wandless magic," Lola said a little breathlessly as she sat back down, staring at the parrot._

_"Not only that." Death nodded towards Lola's hands. _

_Lola looked down and screamed._

_Her hands were engulfed in bright blue flames that curled around her palms and licked at her wrists. Strangely enough, the flames didn't burn her hands, and the table was also undamaged._

_"Bloody hell," she breathed, holding her hands close to her face for inspection._

_"It's controlled by your mind," Death offered. "It'll only attack those you want it to –" _

_"Might I point out that the flames could get a little problematic?" Lola said. "Can I, I don't know, put them away or – " _

_As she spoke, the flames went away, moving up her hands and dissipating off of her fingers._

_They were silent for a moment._

_Lola looked at Death, who had turned the parrot back into the pebble and replaced it within her sleeves. "Why me?" she asked. "Why have you given me these powers?"_

_"You did not seek to become my master for selfish reasons, or personal gain. You are the true master of Death." said Death simply. "And I believe you will have need for them in the approaching future."_

_The mist settled over Lola once more._

_"Thank you, Lady Death."_


	4. Voldy Went Moldy, and a Security Problem

**A/N: Here's Chapter 4, and I'm really excited for this chapter! So many exciting things! The final battle! A hint of romance! Oh-la-la!**

**I also created a cast list of sorts, and it's at the very end of the chapter. You'll have to use your imagination a little bit for Lola, but if you've really got problems with it, I've also listed a back up actress I would use. **

**Also, in my crazy world, Teddy Lupin was born like a year before the battle. Just FYI.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP, nor do I own the Avengers. I don't even own the plot bunny for this story. All I own is myself, a computer and an Avengers notebook that is covered in ideas.**

* * *

She was on the ground again, the smell of the Forest hitting her nostrils. The cold, hard ground was beneath her cheek, and the place where the Curse had hit felt like the bruise of an iron-clad punch to the chest. She remained exactly as she was; pure shock paralyzing her, coursing through her veins at what she assumed had just occurred inside her head, refusing to stir, even as her body was beginning to burn from being bent in all sorts of awkward angles.

The cheers of jubilation she had expected to hear at her death weren't there, instead hurried footsteps and whispers from Bellatrix filled the air.

"_My Lord…_"

She spoke as if to a lover, and Lola, desperate to see what was happening, opened her eyes by a millimeter.

_"That will do," _said Voldemort, and several Death Eaters began to back away from him.

Only Bellatrix remained kneeling at his side, as he seemed to be getting to his feet.

Lola considered briefly what she had seen. Several Death Eaters had huddled around Voldemort, which gave the appearance that he had fallen to the ground. Had Voldemort, too, collapsed? And both of them had fallen briefly unconscious and both of them had returned…

_"The girl…is she dead?"_

Complete silence in the clearing, and no one approached Lola.

_"You," _said Voldemort, and there was a bang and a small shriek of pain. _"Examine him. Tell me if he is dead."_

Soft footsteps hurried forward, and all Lola could do was lie there, with her heart beating traitorously against her chest. Hands softer than she had expected, touched Lola's face, pulled back an eyelid, crept over her shirt and felt the area over her heart. She knew the woman could feel the steady pounding of life against her ribs.

_"Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?"_

The whisper was barely audible; her lips were an inch from her ear, her head bent so low that her hair shielded Lola's face from the onlookers.

_"Yes," _Lola breathed back.

Nails briefly pierced her chest, then withdrew. She sat up.

"He is dead!" Narcissa Malfoy called to the watchers.

* * *

_"Charlotte Potter is dead. She was killed as she ran away, trying to save herself while you lay down your lives for her. We bring you her body as proof that your hero is gone."_

Lola struggled against her rage in effort to remain still.

_"The battle is won. You have lost half your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Girl Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will ever member of their family. Come out of the castle, now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."_

The Death Eaters came to a halt: Lola heard them spreading out in a line facing the school. She waited.

"NO!"

The scream was awful, because Lola had never dreamed that Professor McGonagall could make such a noise. Lola heard another woman laughing, and knew that it had to be Bellatrix – who else could laugh at a time like this?

She squinted again, and saw the open door filling with people as the survivors came out on the front steps, to see the truth of Lola's deaths for themselves.

"LOLA!"

"NO!"

The cries of Hermione and Ron acted as a trigger, the crowd of people taking up the cause, yelling at the Death Eaters until –

_"SILENCE!" _cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash, and silence was forced upon them all. _"It is over! Set her down, Hagrid, at my feet where she belongs!"_

Lola was, once again, lowered onto the ground.

_"You see? Charlotte Potter is dead! She was nothing but a deluded child, one who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for her! She was killed while trying to save herself – "_

Voldemort broke off: there was a scuffle, a shout, then another bang, a grunt of pain. Someone had broken free of the crowd and charged at Voldemort: the figure hit the ground, Disarmed. Voldemort threw the challengers wand away and laughed.

_"And who is this? Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"_

Bellatrix cackled.

"Neville Longbottom, my Lord. The son of the Aurors, remember?"

Neville struggled to his feet, unarmed in the no-man's-land between the survivors and the Death Eaters.

Voldemort looked down at him.

_"Ah, yes. But you are a pure-blood, aren't you?"_

Neville's chin tipped up defiantly, and he spoke with a confidence that Lola had heard a handful of times.

"And if I am?" he asked loudly.

_"You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a valuable Death Eater. We need your stock, Neville Longbottom."_

"I'LL JOIN YOU WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER!" Neville roared, and there was a cheer from the crowd.

_"On your head, then," _Voldemort replied, _"We revert to the original plan."_

He waved his wand, and, seconds later, something that looked like a misshapen bird flew through a shattered window and into Voldemort's hand. He shook it by the pointed, and it dangled, empty and ragged: the Sorting Hat.

_"There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts," _said Voldemort. _"No more houses. The emblem, shield and colours of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone, won't they, Neville Longbottom."_

He waved his wand again. Neville grew rigid and still, and the Sorting Hat was forced down onto his head.

_"Neville here is going to demonstrate what happens to those foolish enough to continue to oppose me," _said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, the Sorting Hat burst into flames.

Screams split through the air, and Neville was aflame, rooted to the spot, unable to move, and Lola couldn't bear it – she had to act.

And then several things happened at once.

There was a huge uproar from the distant boundary of the school, as what sounded like hundreds of people came thundered towards the castle, screaming battle cries. Then came hooves, and twangs of bows; arrows were falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke rank, shouting in surprise. Lola pulled the Invisibility Cloak from her clothing and pulled it over herself, springing to her feet.

In one, swift motion Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him; the flaming Hat fell from his head and he drew from it something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle –

The slash of the silver blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd, or the sounds of the clashing giants, or of the stampeding centaurs, and yet it seemed to draw every eye. With a single stroke, Neville sliced off the great snake's head, which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light flooding from the Entrance Hall, and Voldemort's mouth was open in a scream of fury that nobody could hear, and the snake's body thudded to the ground at his feet –

Hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Lola cast a Shield Charm between Neville and Voldemort before the latter could raise his wand. Then, over the screams, and the roars and the thunderous stamps of the battling giants, Hagrid's yell came loudest of all.

"LOLA! WHERE'S LOLA!"

* * *

Inside the Entrance Hall, Lola sped past duelers, struggling prisoners and into the Great Hall.

Voldemort was in the center of the battle, striking all within reach. Lola couldn't get off a clear shot, but fought her way closer, still invisible, even as the Great Hall became more and more crowded with everyone who could walk forcing their way inside.

Lola saw Yaxley slammed to the floor by Fred, George and Lee Jordan, Dolohov fall with a scream at Flitwick's hands, Walden MacNair thrown across the room by Hagrid, hit the stone wall opposite and slide unconscious to the ground. She saw Ron and Neville bringing down Fenrir Greyback, Aberforth Stunning Rookwood, Arthur and Percy flooring Thicknesse, and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy running through the crowd, not even attempting to fight, screaming for their son.

Voldemort was duelling McGonagall, Slughorn and Kingsley all at once, and there was cold hatred in his face as they wove and ducked around him, unable to finish him –

Bellatrix was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort, and like her master she dueled three at once: Hermione, Ginny and Luna, all battling their hardest, but Bellatrix was equal to them, and Lola's attention was diverted as a Killing Curse shot so close to Ginny that she missed death by an inch –

"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

Mrs. Weasley throw off her cloak as she ran, freeing her arms. Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter at the sight of her new challenger.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted Mrs. Weasley to the three girls, and with a swipe of her wand, she began to duel. Lola watched with terror and elation as Molly Weasley's wand slashed and twirled, and Bellatrix Lestrange's smile faltered, and became a snarl. Jets of light flew from both wands, the floor around the witches' feet became hot and cracked; both women were fighting to kill.

"No!" Mrs. Weasley cried, as a few students ran forwards, trying to come to her aid. "Get back! Get back! She is mine!"

Hundreds of people now lined the walls, watching the two fights, Voldemort and his three opponents, Bellatrix and Molly, and Lola stood, invisible, torn between both, wanting to attack and yet to protect, unable to be sure that she wouldn't hit the innocent.

"What will happen to your children when I've killed you?" taunted Bellatrix, as mad as her master, capering as Molly's curses danced around her.

"You – will – never – touch – our – children – again!" screamed Mrs. Weasley.

Bellatrix laughed, the same exhilarated laugh her cousin Sirius had given as he toppled backwards through the veil, and suddenly Lola knew what was going to happen before it did.

Molly's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart.

Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge: for the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled and the watching crowd roared and Voldemort screamed.

Lola felt as though she turned in slow motion; she saw McGonagall, Kingsley and Slughorn blasted backwards as Voldemort's fury at the fall of his best lieutenant exploded with the force of a bomb. Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at Molly Weasley.

_"Protego!" _screamed Lola, and the Shield Charm expanded in the middle of the hall, and Voldemort stared around for the source as Lola pulled off the Invisibility Cloak at last.

Cheers and yells of shock from both sides rose, and then fell just as quickly as Lola and Voldemort began to circle each other.

"I don't want anyone trying to help," Lola said loudly, her voice carrying like a trumpet call in the silence. "It's got to be me."

_"Potter doesn't mean that," _hissed Voldemort. _"That isn't how she works, now, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Mudblood?"_

"No one," said Lola. "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good…"

_"One of us?" _jeered Voldemort, and his whole body was taut and his red eyes stared, a snake that about to strike. _"You think it will be you, the girl who survived by accidents, because Dumbledore pulled the strings, and you hid behind greater beings and permitted me to kill them for you?"_

"You won't be killing anyone else tonight," said Lola as they circled. "You won't be able to kill any of them, ever again. Don't you understand? I was ready to die to stop you hurting these people –"

_"But you did not!"_

"But I meant to, and that's what did it. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. You can't touch them, you can't torture them. You don't learn from your mistakes, do you, Tom?"

_"You dare – "_

"Oh, absolutely," said Lola. "And before you try to kill me, Tom, I'd advise you to think about what you've done, and try for some remorse –"

_"What is this?"_

Voldemort's pupils contracted to slits, the skin around his eyes whitened.

_"You truly believe that I would need to be remorseful, Potter?"_ he spat the words, and his wand hand twitched. _"I killed Severus Snape, and the Elder Wand, the Deathstick is truly mine! With the power I possess in my hand –"_

_"It's not yours."_

"_Severus Snape killed Dumbledore!"_

"But Draco Malfoy was the one to Disarm him!"

Gasps echoed through the Hall, and blank shock showed momentarily in Voldemort's face.

_"But, what does it matter?"_ he asked softly. _"Even if you are right, Mudblood, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand: we duel on skill alone…and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy…"_

"But you're too late," said Lola. "You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpower Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him."

Lola knew that she had no need for the hawthorn wand with her newfound powers and the knowledge that Voldemort possessed a wand that would not work for him; yet, still she twitched it in her hand, and felt the eyes of everyone in the hall on it.

"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" whispered Lola. "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does…I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

A red-gold glow burst across the enchanted sky above them, as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was a flaming blur. The high voice shrieked as Lola screamed to the heavens the first spell that came to mind, pointing Draco's wand:

_"AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

_"EXPELLIARMUS!"_

* * *

It had been phenomenal. The bang was like a cannon-blast, and there was a scorch mark on the floor of the Great Hall, indicating where the golden flames had erupted, and the two spells met.

The Elder Wand had spun out of Voldemort's hand, across the enchanted ceiling, and into Lola's hand. Voldemort had erupted, screaming, into green and black flames, which had overtaken him and burnt him to nothing more than ash in a matter of seconds.

The Great Hall had been ablaze with life, but Lola, Ron and Hermione had made a quick escape, slipping away unnoticed while Luna had shouted about a Bibbering Humdinger, and ran to the bridge, which was relatively unscathed, despite the enormous amount of action it had seen.

They sat with their backs to a piece of railing that was still standing, with the Elder Wand lying in Lola's lap.

"I'm not going to keep it," said Lola.

"Are you mental, Lola?" asked Ron. "This is the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in the world!"

"I know that," said Lola. "I liked mine better. Speaking of which…"

She rummaged in her jacket pocket, and pulled out the two halves of holly that were still, just, connected by the finest thread of phoenix feather. Hermione had said that it couldn't be repaired, the damage was too severe. All Lola knew was that if this didn't work, then nothing would.

Lola laid the broken wand beside her and pointed the Elder Wand at it. _"Reparo."_

The wand resealed itself, red sparks flying out of the end. Lola knew she had succeeded, and picked up the wand, rejoicing at the feeling of sudden warmth in her fingers. She tucked it behind her ear, in true Luna fashion, and stood with the Elder Wand in hand.

"Are you sure you don't want it?" Ron asked incredulously as Lola clambered to her feet. "It's a powerful wand."

"It is," said Lola.

She took the wand between her two hands and snapped it in half, gold sparks crackling from the broken ends.

She swore she could have heard Ron whimper, and Hermione giggling.

The two pieces flew over the side of the bridge.

"That doesn't mean I should have it," replied Lola, sitting back down, "Or anyone else, for that matter. Besides, I've got something else up my sleeves."

Hermione looked at her wearily, and Ron still looked shell-shocked as Lola reached a hand out.

Blue flames began at the tips of her fingers and began to lick their way down until they reached her wrist.

"Do I even want to know how this happened?" asked Hermione as she grabbed hold of Lola's arm and brought it closer to her face for inspection.

"I'm not even sure how it happened," replied Lola, staring at her hand.

"Wicked," was all Ron could say.

Hermione gave Lola back her arm, and the flames withdrew from Lola's hand. They sat in silence, a contented silence that they hadn't known for seven years.

"This wand is more trouble than it's worth, and I've had enough trouble for a lifetime," Lola said quietly.

"Speaking of trouble…" Ron thought aloud, suddenly grinning.

Hermione and Lola looked at him with shocked disbelief and irritation on their faces.

"Really, Ronald?"

"Ron, I'd think long and hard about the next words that come out of your mouth, before you say them, for once."

"D'you think you'll finally go on that date with Wood that he's been on about for years now?"

"Oliver?" Lola's head lolled back and she began to laugh.

"Maybe. Just maybe."

* * *

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

"Potter!"

Thundering on the steps leading up to the master bedroom at Grimmauld Place.

"Darling Lola!"  
"'T–Char! 'T–Char!"

The door slammed open, despite the charms Lola had enacted in order for her to be able to take a peaceful nap.

Lola remained as still as possible, kept her breathing even to keep up the façade of being asleep. Truthfully, though, she hadn't been asleep. There were too many demons waiting for her in dreamland, and a Dreamless Sleep Potion didn't cut it for some of the horrors she had seen.

Lola felt the covers being lifted, and she groaned internally as a twin slid in on either side and a tiny, warm body landed on top of her.

"'T–Char!" Teddy shouted excitedly, his eighteen-month-old knees digging into her stomach.

"Mmmm, hey, bud," Lola said tiredly, wrapping an arm around him as he snuggled into her neck.

She looked to either side of her.

"You two had better have a very important reason for sauntering through all of my wards and just waking me up."

"Well," said George. "It seems, that despite your exhaustive defensive strategies – "

"–you still have a bit of a security problem," finished Fred. "We were just testing the ability of your wards."

"They failed," George added with a grin.

"That still doesn't answer the reason why you had to wake me up in order to test them," Lola pointed out.

"You're wanted by McGonagall, and a Muggle man who called himself Agent Coulson," the twins said together, "Says she's got a bit of a project for you and Granger."

With her free hand, Lola rubbed her forehead. She was already developing a headache.

"So, let me get this straight," Lola said, leaning forward in her chair, staring holes into the man who'd been introduced as Agent Phil Coulson from the (just call it "SHIELD") Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.

"You have a power source called the Tesseract."

He nodded.

"You lost it."

"Well, I wouldn't say that we –"

"A crazed demigod walked out of a building with it in hand. You lost it."

He nodded.

"And now," Lola snorted, leaning back in her chair and putting her feet on the table. "You want us to –"

"Honestly, Potter," McGonagall interjected, aghast at Lola's table mannerisms. "Remove your feet from the tabletop."

Lola shot the woman a look. "My house, my rules."

McGonagall shot _her _a look.

Lola took her feet off the table.

"Like I was saying," Lola continued, "You lost a huge source of energy, and now you want us to do our magic mumbo-jumbo and clean up your mess?"

"In a nutshell, yes," replied Agent Coulson.

"And the Ministry approved the use of magic in the presence of Muggles?" Lola asked McGonagall. "I really don't want to go on trial for some trumped-up charges because I got some wrong information."

McGonagall nodded with a slight smirk. "All of the European Ministries have approved, as well as the American Ministry."

Lola nodded before turning back to Coulson.

"Well, I'm not an expert on tracking magical signatures," she said. "There's someone else you're going to want to bring along."

Two hours later, Lola and Hermione found themselves on a very large Muggle aircraft that had been introduced as the SHIELD Hellicarrier. They had been ushered inside quickly, and brought to the attention of a large black man with an eye patch and a shiny bald head.

"Welcome to SHIELD," the man said, fiddling with some numbers on a computer in front of him. "I am Director Nick Fury. You've already met Agent Coulson. Feel free to use your magic while on board, the equipment on the Hellicarrier has been adjusted to withstand any magical interference."

"We know who you are," Fury continued, nodding to Hermione. "But, you –" He looked pointedly at Lola " –we're missing some important information."

"Such as?"

"Your full name, for one," Fury replied, pulling up a file of Lola on the computer screen and gesturing for her to look at it.

Lola moved closer, and, sure enough, all of her information was there, with a lovely picture of her on her sixteenth birthday, except the spaces where her first and middle names were supposed to be. "Merlin, I love McGonagall," she laughed at her former headmistress's obvious interference.

"You wanna give us that full name?" asked Fury.

"Nope."

"No?"

"Nope," Lola confirmed, popped the 'p'.

Fury looked speechless, and Coulson rushed in to smooth the rapidly deteriorating situation over.

"Miss Potter, it would be much more prudent if you would –"

"No," Lola said firmly. "I came to help you retrieve the Tesseract, and unless its location is only revealed through the use of my full name, I am flat-out refusing to give it to you."

Hermione smirked. "She really hates her name," she told the two men. "I've been sworn to secrecy."

Fury, seeming to realize that he wouldn't be getting what he was fishing for, began to give out instructions. "Well, if Ms. Potter isn't willing to give us her information, we might as well skip to the good part and put you two to work. Ms. Granger, please follow Agent Coulson, he'll show you to the laboratory where Dr. Banner is working. Ms. Potter, come with me. I've got a need for your skills."

It was an uncomfortable ride down to the detention level. Fury and Lola stood at opposite ends of the elevator, only speaking when necessary in cold, cordial tones.

"So, what is it exactly that you want me to do, Director?" Lola asked, fingers twitching nervously.

"We've been informed of your ability as a Legi-leg-legil-"

"Legilimens?" Lola offered as the man stumbled over the words. "Just say 'mind-reader' if it's too hard, Director. I won't judge."

"Yeah, that," Fury muttered under his breath. "We've got Loki in a cell down here, and I want you to try and... read his mind, if you will, see if you can't get an idea of where the Tesseract is."

The doors slid open, and Lola found herself standing in front of a very large cage that held a not-quite-so-large man, with greasy black hair that reminded her of Snape, and a long nose that also reminded her of Snape.

"In case it's unclear," Fury said loudly, as he fiddled with yet another computer, "you try to escape, you so much as scratch that glass –"

Fury pressed a button and the floor under Loki's cell slid open, giving Lola a bone-chilling view of a very long fall down.

"Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap," Fury shouted over the wind. "You get how this works?"

The floor slid shut, and Lola patted her windblown curls back into place with fervor.

"Ant."

Fury pointed to Loki.

"Boot."

Fury gestured to the computer.

Lola began her quiet attack on Loki's mind. It was surprisingly easy to enter, but she wasn't getting anything useful.

Loki smirked. "It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you," said Fury with a blank face.

"Oh, I've heard," replied Loki, turning his attention to a security camera in the corner of the room.

Lola eyed him warily, using every ounce of power she could use to penetrate his mind. She was only getting flashes of useless things; him eating, him speaking with a very large man, him flirting with well-dressed women…

"The mindless beast makes play to be the man. How desperate are you? You call on these lost creatures to defend you, especially Miss Potter. That's not going to work, by the way, _Charlotte_, so I'd suggest you save your energy for what I have planned for you."

Lola's face was a mixture of shock, irritation and anger. "The name's Lola-"

"Oh, I know you," Loki sneered, coming to stand at the edge of the cage nearest her. "I know all about you, Miss Potter. The Chosen One, Mistress of Death, the Girl Who Lived, the Gryffindor Princess, the Quidditch Beauty…Shall I continue?"

"By all means," Fury cut in, causing Lola to send a withering glare in his direction.

"Although you might not be glad that you did," the redheaded girl added, "I've got a bit of a temper."

"For the last several years, in fact, for most of your pathetic life, you've been a pawn. You've allowed others to use you to fight a war that you didn't fully understand. And now that this war is over, you will continue to be a pawn, to fight for causes simply because your beloved Order thinks they are just. You are _lost, Mudblood,_" Loki spat as Lola's fingers traced the scar on her left arm, "In every sense of the word. You don't know what you stand for. You don't even know who you are, or the full extent of your powers, and the only reason you are standing here right now is because it burns him-"Loki gestured to a seemingly unaffected Fury "-to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is."

Lola was shaking with rage as she followed Fury into the elevator.

"Yeah, well, you let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something."

* * *

**No real Avengers interaction, I know, but I'm getting there!**

**So, here's the cast list (it's tentative, so give me your opinions!):**

***Lola Potter/Barton- So, I would have a younger version of Rachel Taylor from Transformers and that TV remake of Charlie's Angels, but she would have red curls instead of blonde ones. She is a STUNNING actress, by the way, and I absolutely adore her. If you don't like that, I was also thinking about Candice Accola from the Vampire Diaries, because I loved her as Caroline Forbes. She also looked really good with red hair.**

***Mistress Death-Bridget Regan from the Legend of the Seeker TV Series. She totally kicked ass as the Mother Confessor Kahlan, and has totally got that ethereal, otherworldy thing down. **

***Oliver Wood- K, there's two for him as well, because as much as I loved Sean Biggerstaff in the first HP movie, I can't really picture a him as a twenty-something-year-old. My first pick would be Robert Hoffman (YUM!)from Step Up 2 and She's The Man, and my second would be Chase Armitage. He was actually in Deathly Hallows, Part 1 as one of the Snatchers, and is also a total hunk.**

**Everyone else would be exactly the same, but I would have Hermione in that haircut Emma Watson got right after she finished filming DH: Part 2. I know that it seems really OC, but it just makes her seem really badass, and I am absolutely in LOVE with that haircut. I can't have it though, sadly, because my hair is curlier than a slinky.**

**Don't like my choices? Give me some of yours!**


	5. Carrion, Meetings and Crazy Thoughts

**A/N: So, here's the next chapter! It's kinda short, but the overwhelming request from your guys's fabulous reviews was to get to the point where Lola meets the Avengers. Here it is! And thank you to all who reviewed on the last chapter!**

**Fire Dolphin: Let me just say that great minds think alike!**

**daeb: You'll get a partial description of Lola this chapter, don't worry!**

**ShoshonaTheRose: Yes, the Avengers used to be a team, but they broke up after Lola went missing.**

**Also, does anyone recognize the line I used when the twins woke Lola up last chapter? I have to admit, I felt ridiculously cool when I fit that bit into the chapter. I'll give you a hint:**

**"It seems despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster. And I'm afraid it's quite extensive...How dare you stand where he stood? Tell them how it happened that night! Tell them how you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him!"**

**Disclaimer: I don't, nor will I ever own HP or the Avengers. Sucks to be me!**

* * *

_"The mindless beast makes play to be the man. How desperate are you? You call on these lost creatures to defend you, especially Miss Potter. That's not going to work, by the way, Charlotte, so I'd suggest you save your energy for what I have planned for you."_

Hermione watched the interaction on the security feed between Fury, Lola and Loki with mild interest, eyebrows raising in surprise when Loki called Lola "Charlotte." She didn't miss the way the Avengers sat forward at the sound of the name, and she definitely didn't miss the way Romanoff flinched when Loki said it.

Her interest had been drawn to the other members of the group, and the tension between them. Something big had happened between them, she knew, because they had broken up nearly seventeen years ago, and had only gotten back together now.

The tension seemed to radiate from the lone woman in the Avengers, the one they'd called Natasha Romanoff, and had Hermione been a better Legilimens and had less of a conscience, she might have tried to discover the heart of the issue.

Furthermore, there was no definitive leader within the group. Steve Rogers seemed to be at the head of the conversation, but Hermione knew from what little she'd seen on the telly that Tony Stark was not the type to march to the beat of someone else's drum. He was a leader, perhaps not a natural born leader like Rogers was, but a leader nonetheless, and Hermione would have been lying if she said she wasn't interested in seeing how the two interacted together.

Her favorite members, by far, had been Bruce Banner and Thor. Banner was a Steven Hawking-type, something that she appreciated and admired, and had a healthy appetite for learning things that he didn't know (which wasn't much, to be honest.). He'd been patient enough to answer her questions on the Tesseract, and had asked many of his own on the subject of her magic. He was nosy, sure, but not nosy in the way that Ron was, where he had to know things just to be able to gossip about them.

Thor, on the other hand, was loud, boisterous, and very, very big, compared to her 5'4" frame. He had greeted her heartily with a hug, which she had returned after a short moment of surprise, and had said that she radiated power and reminded him heavily of his "Jane". When asked what that meant, Thor had grown slightly solemn, and said that it was a good thing, but nothing of consequence. He, in turn, had reminded Hermione slightly of a rather large teddy bear, and the Weasley household whenever she visited for family dinners.

It wasn't that she disliked any of the others, it was just that they unsettled her beyond belief, particularly Agent Romanoff.

The most disconcerting thing about Agent Romanoff was the fact that she reminded Hermione so much of Lola, and Hermione could almost list all of the points where the two redheads were alike.

Lola's observant nature was reflected in Romanoff; the woman was constantly observing the room in her peripheral vision, as if expecting a threat to come from one of them.

Well, given present company, Hermione could understand.

However, where Lola's demeanor was distant, yet warm and slightly reserved, Romanoff came off as aloof, cold and very reserved. Where Romanoff's posture was straight and businesslike, Lola was often found to be standing straight; she was usually slouched in her chair, tilted to one side, with her feet on a table surface in front of her if there was one available.

Then, there were the physical attributes. Lola's hair was really just a lighter version of Agent Romanoff's; they had the same bee-stung lips and small ears.

_"I know all about you, Miss Potter. The Chosen One, Mistress of Death, the Girl Who Lived, the Gryffindor Princess, the Quidditch Beauty…Shall I continue?"_

Hermione knew, though, that Lola had a few inches on Agent Romanoff from when the woman had walked in. Lola was 5'9", and Romanoff appeared to be only a few inches taller than Hermione, and the woman was wearing high-heeled boots. Where Lola had wide blue eyes, Romanoff's were more narrowed and colored green.

Hermione wondered, briefly, if…

No, that wasn't possible.

Was it?

_No, _her mind told her. _Definitely not. Focus, Hermione._

Roger's voice interrupted Hermione's thoughts. "What's she doing?" he asked, pointing to the screen.

Hermione leaned over, trying to get a better look at what Lola was doing. After a few moments of silence, Hermione leaned back in her chair.

"He got to her. He unnerved her. Either he called her by her full name –"

"Charlotte?" Rogers asked, and Hermione was sure she was not the only one who saw the way Romanoff visibly flinched again at the name. "Why would that unnerve her?"

_"…you will continue to be a pawn, to fight for causes simply because your beloved Order thinks they are just. You are lost, Mudblood, in every sense of the word…"_

"She hates it," Hermione replied. "It reminds her of when she used to live with her adoptive aunt and uncle, and they weren't exactly the most loving people, if you catch my drift. You'd have to be a pretty special person for her to willingly let you call her that. She's taken steps to ensure that her full name isn't used freely by very many people. They don't even have her full name in her records here.

"Anyways, Lola has this scar on her arm. Got it a few weeks ago. She started tracing it when she would get nervous, and she hasn't stopped since."

Rogers nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer, and sat back in his chair.

After a few moments, Thor spoke up, huge arms crossed over his chest. "I do not like the way my brother is looking at the young Lady Potter."

Hermione nodded in agreement. Loki was staring at Lola like she was…carrion or a chocolate bar. She knew that Lola wouldn't be oblivious to the stare, she'd gotten it enough before, and so Lola had to be hiding her reaction to the staring very well.

Seconds later, Fury and Potter left the detention level.

_"Yeah, well, you let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something."_

Banner looked up from the screen with a slight smirk on his face.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?"

Rogers nodded. "Loki's gonna drag this out," he said, turning to Thor. "Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army called the Chitauri, that none of Asguard, nor any world, know," replied the demigod. "He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An army," said Rogers incredulously. "From outer space."

"He's building a portal," Hermione interjected, resting her chin on her fist.

"A portal?" Romanoff raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. You didn't expect them to walk here, did you?"

Romanoff rolled her eyes, and Banner was quick to steady the boat. "That's why he needs Erik Selvig."

"Selvig?" said Thor.

"He's an astrophysicist."

"He's a friend."

"Loki has him under some sort of spell," said Romanoff. "Along with one of ours."

The attention in the room moved to Hermione, who held her hands up in defense. "I have absolutely no idea what kind of 'spell' this is," she said huffily. "This isn't something I've learned about, or even read –"

"The only thing _remotely _close to the kind of spell you're talking about is an Imperious Curse," said Lola as she walked in, scanning over papers as she sat down in the chair next to Hermione. "And from what I've heard about Loki's mind control, this is _nothing_ like that."

Lola looked up to find herself uncomfortably at the center of focus within the conference space.

"Ummm…hi."

* * *

**DUH DUNH DUUUUUUHHHH! I'VE LEFT YOU WITH A CLIFFY! (not really, I know, I just feel really weird today.) WHATEVER WILL YOU DO NOW, EXCEPT WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! HEHEHE! **


	6. Discoveries and General Troublemaking

**A/N: Let me first say that I am quite proud of the length of this chapter. Twelve pages on Microsoft Word, baby!**

**dsrtchck: Thanks for the sentiment. Love you too.**

**ImmortalWar: I hope you like this chapter a lot better. I put a lot of myself into Lola in this chapter, and I consider myself to be a very strong person.**

**ShoshonaTheRose: No, she absolutely, positively CANNOT take a potion! That would totally ruin what I have in store, and we wouldn't want that, now, would we?**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed with such great, constructive feedback! Y'all totally keep me inspired to continue writing, so review, review, review! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP, I don't own The Avengers, I don't even have a working DVD player in my house so I can constantly be watching the hotnesses known as Tom Felton and Chris Evans. Fml.**

* * *

"Ummm…hi," Lola said as she sat down next to Hermione.v

_Awkward._

Uncomfortable silence.

_They're staring at you. Why are they staring at you?_

It wasn't an over-a-cup-of-coffee stare. It was an in-your-face, you-have-something-in-your-teeth sort of stare.

Not that it wasn't something Lola was used to. Everywhere she'd been in the last few years had been filled with stares and whispers regarding the Girl Who Lived. Here, though, it was different. They weren't staring at her like she was a freak. They were staring like they'd seen a person who they hadn't seen in a while, and were trying to figure out who she was and why she looked so familiar.

The strangest thing was that they all felt familiar to her, especially the redhead in the corner whom Lola had the most bizarre urge to hug. _Natasha Romanoff._

The awkward silence continued for an undeterminable length of time, until a tall, nerdy looking man with peppered hair cleared his throat. _Definitely Dr. Banner._

"Right, well…we've already been introduced to Ms. Granger, but we don't know who you are."

Lola smirked. "I'm sure you were watching the security feed from the little scene in Loki's cell, and have already read my file, so you know to an extent who I am. And me, well I've already read all of your files, so I know who you are. So, let's get back to business, shall we?

"I wasn't able to get anything useful from Loki's mind," said Lola, putting her feet on the table. "His thoughts were too jumbled, and I got thrown out before I really had any time to look."

The guy in the corner wearing the star-spangled outfit leaned forward._Obviously Captain America. Who else would wear a costume like that. _"I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't even think we should be focusing on Loki," said Banner. "That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him."

Lola put a hand in the air. "I second that! That man was a taco short of a combination."

_That _earned her a few strange glances.

The massive man Lola deduced to be Thor folded his arms across his chest. "Have care how you speak," he said. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asguard, and he is my brother."

"He killed eighty people in two days," Romanoff pointed out without looking up from the tablet in her hands.

Thor thought for a moment. "He's adopted."

Lola studied her nails. "Something wrong with being adopted?" she asked casually.

The demigod sputtered for a few moments, as Hermione elbowed Lola in the ribs.

"I – I – I…"

Lola snorted, finally deciding to take pity on him. "Just fucking with you, big guy. Just remember to have care how _you _speak, yeah?"

Rogers looked annoyed. "I'm sorry to interrupt your playtime, ma'am, but can we get back to the point now? This is serious."

"Sorry, Capsicle," Lola snorted. "Wasn't aware that your shield was still stuck up your ass. And the name's not ma'am; I've seen my birth certificate before."

Rogers looked like he was about to blow a gasket, and Hermione turned beet red at Lola's words, going so far as to level her with a scathing glare, but Tony Stark sauntered in at that moment, effectively curbing the issue for the moment. Rogers let out an audible groan at the sight of the man, but Stark seemed to ignore it.

"I like her!" Stark said enthusiastically, pointing at Lola. "She looks a little young to be here, and she stole my line, but I _like _her!"

"Mr. Stark, lovely to meet you," said Lola with a grin. She held her hand out for him to shake. "Lola Potter and this is my friend, Hermione Granger."

He shook both girls' hands, and took the free seat on the other side of Lola. "So, not that I'm complaining, Princess, but is there a reason for you two being here?"

"We're witches," replied Hermione. "Fury asked me to try to detect the magical signature coming from the Tesseract, and he asked Lola to try and read Loki's mind to see if she couldn't get a location."

If Stark was skeptical about the girls' claim, he hid it well. "Did you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Lola.

"No," said Lola. "I don't even think he knows where it is."

"Can't you do some witchy-voodoo thing to track the Tesseract?" Tony asked.

Lola looked at Hermione. "Can we?"

Hermione shrugged. "I could try a potion I learned a few weeks ago. It would take a bit of modifying to be able to account for the scepter, which I'm only assuming could work as the baseline, but it's worth a shot," she replied. "Most of the spells and potions I know only work for tracking living organisms, so they wouldn't work."

"Do you have all of the ingredients?" Lola asked.

Hermione snorted. "Please, do you even have to ask?"

"Speaking of ingredients," interrupted Bruce. "Why would Loki need Iridium for?"

Stark stood as he answered. "It's a stabilizing agent. Means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD."

He walked to the screens. "Raise the monitors!" he called as the CarrierTechs looked at him like he was crazy.

"That man is playing Galaga!" he revealed cheerfully. "Thought he wouldn't notice, but we did."

Rogers rolled his eyes as Stark covered one eye and began to look around. After a moment, he turned to Maria Hill. "I can't believe I never asked this, but how does Fury see these?"

"He turns."

"Sounds exhausting."

After a moment, Stark turned back to the screen. "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube."

Hill raised an eyebrow. "When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?"

"Last night," replied Stark. "The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" asked Rogers, who was still looking a little red in the face.

"He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," said Banner.

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect," said Stark.

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet," continued Banner.

"Finally, someone who speaks English."

"Is that what just happened?" asked Rogers.

"Good to see you again, Dr. Banner," said Stark as they shook hands. "I'm still waiting to see you lose control and turn into a big, green rage monster."

"Haven't done that in years," Banner said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Dr. Banner, Granger and Potter are only here to track the cube," Fury pointed out as he walked into the room. "I was hoping you might join them."

"Let's start with that stick of his," said Rogers. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube," replied Fury. "And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

"That a dig at my lifestyle, Director?" asked Lola with a slight grin.

Fury rolled his one good eye, as Thor looked confused.

"Monkeys? I do not understand –"

"I do!" Rogers cut in excitedly. At the exasperated glances of everyone else, he added, "I –I understood that reference."

* * *

Natasha Romanoff sat through the meeting feeling very uncomfortable in the presence of the girl they'd called Lola Potter. It wasn't that there was anything _wrong _with the girl, per se; it was the way Natasha had felt a motherly instinct towards the girl that she hadn't felt in nearly seventeen years. Then, the way Loki had called her "Charlotte", as if he had known that it would rile them all up. It was too weird, too _convenient_, that Loki would know how to push their buttons with one word.

This girl had reminded Natasha so much of Clint that it was uncanny; from the way she stacked her feet on the table, to the way she blatantly insulted Rogers, and even her eyes, those wide baby blues that seemed to observe and make assumptions all at once.

Furthermore, there were the other Avengers she had to deal with. It wasn't that she disliked any of them outright, even Stark, who was infuriating at the very least, but it was too fresh in her mind for her to feel at all comfortable around them. They were uncomfortable too; she could see the way Banner's shoulders hitched up and Roger's fingers tensed periodically. The only one who appeared at all okay with the situation was Stark, and he was probably too self-involved to even notice what was happening around him.

Natasha's mind drifted back to that fateful day, sixteen years ago, that had rendered the Avenger Initiative a complete failure.

_"What the hell is going on here?" shouted Fury as he stumbled into the ruined training room._

_Rogers looked up from where he was attempting to contain an infuriated Clint. "Sir, I can explain –"_

_"The hell you can!" shouted Clint. "You don't even know what the hell happened!"_

_"Don't even start!" screamed Natasha from where she and Tony were each being held back by one of Thor's gargantuan arms._

_"This is ridiculous," said Fury. "This is the sixth time this month! You all are acting like children."_

_The bickering stopped as Fury turned to walk out of the room._

_"Get this cleaned up. I'm done with you."_

* * *

Natasha blinked once, twice as the room slowly began to empty.

She had some investigating to do.

* * *

"So," said Hermione as they stared at the scepter. "How are we going to do this?"

Lola kneeled so that she was at eye-level with it. "I have no idea. We can't just drop it in, I don't that it would fully disintegrate, and I really don't want anyone to be drinking pure energy and gamma radiation."

Banner looked up from his calculations. "You're drinking that?" he asked in disbelief, gesturing to the array of potions they'd set out on a lab table.

"Hey," Lola said. "I never said it would be me –"

"Nose goes!" Hermione shouted.

"Nose what –yes! Suck on that, Granger!"

Hermione frowned in irritation as she removed her finger from her nose. "Probably ingested worse in my lifetime, knowing you. Seriously, though, how are we going to get an essence of that–", she pointed to the scepter, "–into a dissolvable substance?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Banner. "Get it to blow something up, like a piece of paper or anything that doesn't have any magical properties to it, and then take whatever ashes and ruins there are and use those."

**(A/N: For the sake of the story, let me just tell you that I am not a science person. I don't know how radiation works, but I feel like this isn't too much of a stretch for the imagination.)**

"I don't get it," Lola countered as she ran a finger along the edge of the scepter. "How is that going to work?"

"There'd be trace level amounts of gamma radiation," Banner replied as if it was the most uncomplicated thing in the world. "I'm also assuming that there would be one of the magical signatures that you two seem to need so badly."

"He's a genius for a reason!" cried Lola as she stood. She looked at Hermione, raising an eyebrow. "Could that work?"

"I don't see any other way to make it work."

Ten minutes later, upon finding that none of them could actually _work _the scepter, Lola had coaxed Thor away from a box of Pop-Tarts in the cafeteria with the promise that she would buy him seven later. The demigod had promptly lifted the scepter, and disintegrated a stack of scratch paper that Banner had had handy, and walked away, smirking with the knowledge that he had been the one to save Hermione and Lola's potion.

Then, Stark walked in, and he and Banner had begun to do their science/math powwow, and Hermione and Lola decided to tune them out. Lola had slipped off her shoes and sat on the lab table, while Hermione had begun mixing the potion.

"The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports on the Tesseract," Banner was saying. "But it's gonna take weeks to process."

"If we bypass their mainframe and direct a reroute to the Homer cluster," replied Stark, "We can clock this around six hundred teraflops. Hey, Princess, how long d'you think that's gonna take?"

Lola looked at him over the rim of her glasses from where she was reading instructions for Hermione. "'Bout twenty more minutes until it's finished, but it's gotta cool off for another ten. Hermione, stir two more times _counterclockwise, _and then add the salamander eyes. Good. Stir four times clockwise, then add the ashes."

"Salamander eyes? Do you really plan to drink that?" Stark asked, looking between the two girls as if they were crazy.

Lola shot him an impish smirk. "I've ingested worse."

Banner glanced between the green-looking billionaire and the two witches with a look of surprise on his face. "Wow. And all I packed was a toothbrush."

"You know," said Stark as he messed with some measurements. "You should come by StarkTowers again sometime. I fixed it up, top ten floors, all R and D. You'd love it, it's candy land."

"Thanks, but you saw what happened the last time I was in New York."

"What happened?" asked Lola.

"I kind of broke...Harlem."

"Kind of broke?"

Stark walked around behind Banner. "Well, I promise a stress free environment. No tension. No surprises –" he said, even as he shoved an electrical shock device into Banner's side.

Banner jumped, and Hermione raised an eyebrow from where she was adjusting the Bluebell flames she had underneath the cauldron. "You sure about that, Stark?"

Stark ignored her, and leaned forward, checking for any sign that Banner was about to start Hulking out. "Nothing?"

The doors slid open, and Rogers stomped in looking very angry. "Hey, are you nuts?"

"Jury's still out," replied Stark, before turning back to Banner. "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?"

"Is everything a joke to you?"

"Funny things are." Stark picked up the bag of blueberries he'd put on the table and began to put them in his mouth by the handful.

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny," Rogers said, folding his arms across his chest. "No offense, doctor."

"No, it…it's alright," Banner said. "I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things."

Lola snorted quietly into the potions book as Hermione hid a smirk behind the cauldron.

_God, we are so immature._

Unfortunately, the sound of Lola's snorting attracted Rogers attention.

"And how could you two just sit by and let Stark nearly get us all killed?"

"Rogers, we've seen the videos," Hermione replied, shooting him a glance from where she was stirring the potion.

"The other guy is kind of a baby, compared to some of the shit we've seen," Lola said as she hopped off the counter. Peering into the cauldron, she told Hermione, "I think it's good to cool off now."

"I'm sorry," said Banner from behind the computer. "That had to have been bad."

"You have no idea," whispered Lola as Stark butted back in with "You're tiptoeing, big man. You need to strut."

Rogers glared at Stark. "And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark."

"You think I'm not? Why did Fury call us and why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us. I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables."

"You think Fury's hiding something?"

"Definitely," said Lola as the three men looked at her, momentarily distracted from their pissing contest. "His mind has more blocks than I can count, far more than any non-magical being should have."

"You used Legilimency on the Director of SHIELD?" Hermione hissed in disbelief. "Honestly, Lola, I –"

"He's a spy," Stark cut in. "Captain, he's the spy. His secrets have secrets."

He pointed to Banner. "It's bugging him, too, isn't it?"

Banner held his hands up. "Uh...I just wanna finish my work here and..."

"Doctor?"

The scientist sat back in his chair. "'A warm light for all mankind to share', Loki's jab at Fury about the cube."

"I heard it." Rogers nodded.

Banner tilted his head at Stark. "Well, I think that was meant for you. Even if Barton didn't post that all over the news."

"StarkTower? That big ugly…"

Stark shot Rogers a look.

"…building in New York?"

"It's powered by Stark Reactors, self sustaining energy source," said Banner. "That building will run itself for what, a year?"

"That's just the prototype," Stark said smugly. "I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now."

"So, why didn't SHIELD bring you in on the Tesseract project?" asked Lola. "Seems to me like you could have been useful."  
"I know, right? I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of SHIELD's secure files."

"I'm sorry," Rogers said slowly, "Did you just say..."

"Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge," said Stark, tossing a blueberry in his mouth. "In a few hours we'll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide. Blueberry?"

He held the bag out to Lola, who took a handful and began popping them in her mouth one at a time. He held the bag out to Rogers, who shoved his hand away.

"Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around?" the super soldier asked.

"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically…not awesome."

"I think Loki's trying to wind us up," Rogers offered. "This is a man who means to start a war, and if don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders, we should follow them."

"Followings not really my style," Stark countered.

"And you're all about style, aren't you?" Rogers took a step closer to Stark, so that the billionaire had to look up to see the super-soldier's eyes.

"Of the people in this room, which one is; a) wearing a spangly outfit, and b) not of use?"

"Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?" Banner asked.

"Just…find the cube," Rogers said, stomping out of the room.

Lola watched him leave as Stark turned to Banner and said in irritated amazement, "That's the guy my dad never shut up about? Wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice."

"Hey, Hermione?" Lola said, watching the spot where Rogers had just been. "I'm gonna go…do some maintenance on my Firebolt."

Hermione looked confused.

"But you just did that –"

Lola shot her an annoyed look.

"Oh, yeah, go ahead."

* * *

"There's not many people that can sneak up on me."

"But you figured I'd come," Natasha replied as Loki turned to face her.

"After," Loki stated. "After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I would cooperate."

"I wanna know what you've done to Agent Barton," the master assassin said coldly.

Loki looked relaxed, too relaxed. "I'd say I've expanded his mind."

_Bastard. _"And once you've won. Once you're king of the mountain. What happens to his mind?" Natasha kept a blank face up, masking the anger that bubbled beneath.

A surprised smirk rolled across Loki's face. "Is this love, Agent Romanoff?"

"Love is for children, I owe him a debt."

Loki's eyebrows rose. "Tell me."

Natasha sighed, before sitting in the chair just outside the cell. "Before I worked for SHIELD, I uh...well, I made a name for myself. I have a very specific skill set. I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me, he made a different call."

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?"

The answer was immediate. "Not let you out."

Loki's grin grew. "Ah, no, but I like this," he sneered. "Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Regime's fall everyday. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian, or I was…" she trailed off.

"And what are you now?"

She shrugged. "It's really not that complicated. I've got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out."

"Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Drakoff's daughter? Sao Paulo? The hospital file? Barton told me everything, and I do mean everything. Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer. Pathetic! You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away.

"Your daughter exercises those same traits, Agent Romanoff. Lying and killing for those who would just as soon turn on her –"

She was at the window now, her face twisted into one of pure fury.

"My daughter," she hissed, "Is dead!"

"Hardly," he snorted. "I won't barter Barton! Not until I make him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear, while I make your child watch. And then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, long enough to see what he has done, long enough to know that his child witnessed her father murdering her mother, and when he screams I'll split his skull!"

Natasha had a look of utter horror on her face. She stood abruptly, knocking over the chair, in her effort to move away from the demigod.

"This is my bargain, you mewling quim!" he spat on the window.

"You're a monster." She was sniffling now, with her back turned to Loki.

"Oh, you've brought the monster."

Natasha turned around, and had no evidence of tears in her eyes or on her cheeks.

"So, Banner? That's your play?"

Loki looked confused. "What?"

She ignored him and talked into her earpiece. "Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Set the door locked."

Natasha was on her way out the door when she turned back to him.

"Thank you, for your cooperation."

Loki smirked. "Oh, Agent Romanoff?" he said in a sing-song voice.

Natasha stopped just long enough to hear what he had to say.

"I'd ask Miss Granger some questions about the young Lola Potter."

Natasha cursed him in every language she knew as she hurried to the lab.

* * *

Lola followed Rogers to a door marked "Authorized Personnel Only" and snorted when he began to attempt at moving the door using his brute strength.

"Judging by the way you're trying to open that door, I'm guessing you aren't really supposed to be going in there."

He whipped around, arms up and ready for a fight. When he saw who it was, he put his arms down, but didn't relax.

"Miss Potter, you should really go back to the lab –" he started to say.

"Please," she interrupted, grinning. "Me, leave, when there's trouble to be had? Why, Captain, I'm almost insulted."

"Suit yourself," he replied, turning back to the door.

She moved in front of him and put her weight against the door, forcing him to look at her.

"Look," Lola said as Rogers glanced up at her. "You don't like me, I get it. That's fine. I was less than cordial when we met, and for that I apologize –"

Lola held a hand up when he tried to speak. "Just let me get this out. I apologize. I'm sorry, and as my atonement for my rude behaviour, I'm going to give you a little piece of advice."

"This door," she continued, rapping her knuckles against the cold metal, "Is a little different than I'm sure it would have been in the forties. You break in here, all sorts of alarms will go off, and you, my friend, will be in very big trouble, and I, despite my best efforts and super witchy powers, would probably be held as an accomplice and be in just as much, if not, more, trouble. It would be best to find another way in, for both our sakes."

Rogers nodded, standing. "So, how do we get in?"

Lola smiled impishly. "It's a good thing you have me as your newfound friend. I want you to say the words 'Lola, my newfound friend, I am in desperate need of your witchy powers to get us through this door so that we can snoop through SHIELD files and figure out what the spy is hiding.'"

He frowned, but said the words, "Miss Potter, my newfound friend, I am in desperate need of your…_witchy _powers to get us through this door so that we can snoop through SHIELD files and figure out what the spy is hiding."

"You messed it up," she said, rolling her eyes.

"What?"

"I told you to say 'Lola' and you said 'Miss Potter'."

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes, _Steve, _it does matter. Friends call each other by their first names. I want you to try it again. And for the love of all that is holy, do _not _call me 'Charlotte'. Ever."

He rolled his eyes, a strange and unnatural movement on the man out of time, and repeated the words. "_Lola, _my newfound friend, I am in desperate need of your witchy powers to get us through this door so that we can snoop through SHIELD files and figure out what the spy is hiding. Good enough for you?"

"Yeah, but I don't appreciate the sarcasm," she snorted. Lola pushed herself off the wall, and held a hand out towards Steve. "Take my hand."

He did as he was told tentatively, encasing her hand in his much larger one. "Now what?"

"You're gonna have to trust me."

Steve looked like he was going to say something, but Lola turned on the spot and Apparated them both inside the room.

Surprisingly enough, they both landed on their feet, Steve looking a little unsteady, but still on his feet. They were in a room filled with boxes.

"Wow," Lola said. "You did remarkably well for your first time doing Side-Along Apparition. Little green around the gills, but hey, I vomited my first time."

"Don't tempt me. What in the name was that?" he asked, bending over at the waist to put his hands on his knees.

"Apparition," she said, patting him on the back. "Basically teleportation. Takes awhile to get used to, but it's the preferred method of transportation when you do."

"I can't possibly understand why," he said, straightening up. "If that's the feeling you get every time."

"Much less time consuming," Lola explained. "Puts you almost anywhere instantaneously. Where do you think Phase Two is?"

"I don't know," Steve replied. "I'll take the right of the room, you take the left of the room."

Lola nodded, and they each went to their respective sides.

After about five minutes of poking around, Steve called her over.

She found him staring intently into a box with a look of anger on his face.

When Lola came to stand beside him and look into the box, she could understand why. It was filled with some very futuristic looking weapons that she guessed were going to be powered by the Tesseract.

"Holy Hera," she whispered, picking what appeared to be a gun up and scrutinizing it. "This is a hell of a secret."

Steve took it from her and held out his empty hand.

"Get us out of here," he urged. "Now, please."

Lola took his hand and immediately Apparated them outside. Steve was still a little unsteady, but not as green this time.

"I have to, umm…get something from my room," she said quietly. "Is that okay?"

He looked a little confused. "Do you normally ask?"

"No," she stammered. "I just wasn't sure if you were cool with me abandoning you. People need me to be able to function correctly a lot of the time."

He snorted. "I know the feeling. Go."

Lola took off running for her room, and Steve headed back towards the lab.

* * *

"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?" Fury asked as he walked into the lab to find Banner and Stark hacking into the SHIELD database.

"Uh...kind of been wondering the same thing about you," Stark replied as he tapped on another screen.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."

"We are," said Hermione as she scooped some of the potion into a glass. It looked like a cross between Polyjuice Potion and…vomit. "Bottoms up."

She tilted her head back and drank half of the glass in one go. "Oh, that is _vile. _You'll have a location in about five minutes."

"That is also…disgusting," said Stark as he watched in half fascination, half horror.

"While Miss Granger is…ingesting salamander eyes, we've locked the model and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

"And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss. What is Phase 2?" asked Stark casually.

Rogers appeared in the lab. "Phase 2 is SHIELD used the cube to make weapons," he said, throwing the weapon down on the table. "Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me."

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're..."

"I'm sorry Nick," Stark said as he rotated the computer around to show a visual of a warhead being put together. "What, were you lying?"

"I was wrong, Director," Rogers said scathingly. "The world hasn't changed a bit."

Hermione found it a good time to back slowly into a corner and sit in a chair to watch the fireworks as Thor and Romanoff walked into the lab.

"Did you know about this?" Banner asked Romanoff, pointing to the visual with his pen.

Romanoff ignored his question. "You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?"

"Oh, I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed."

"Loki's manipulating you."

"And you've been doing what, exactly?"

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you," Romanoff replied with a blank face.

"And I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. Actually," said Banner, "I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of those two," Fury replied after a moment, pointing between Thor and Hermione.

"Me?" Thor asked, just as Hermione cried, "What?"

"When you first joined us," Fury said, pointing to Thor, "Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge mass that leveled a small town."

"Two weeks ago," Fury continued, pointing to Hermione, "There was a battle of epic proportions that destroyed a school and much of a town. We learned from both instances that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, out gunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor said in surprise.

"The war had nothing to do with you," Hermione added coldly.

"But it most likely would have," Fury pointed out. "And the Asguardians aren't the only people out there, are they? And, they're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled."

"Like you controlled the cube?" Rogers cut in.

"You're work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"Higher form?"

"You forced our hand," Fury said almost pleadingly. "We had to come up with something."

"A nuclear deterrent," said Stark, rolling his eyes. "Because that always calms everything right down."

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Fury raised his eyebrows.

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep –"

"Wait! Wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?"

"I'm sorry," Rogers said, "Isn't everything?"

"I thought humans were more evolved than this." Thor shook his head.

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury said sarcastically.

They all began to argue, and Hermione sat back in her chair and began flipping through the latest edition of the Quibbler, waiting for the pissing contest to subside.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos."

"It's his M.O., isn't it?" Banner asked irately. "I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're...we're a time-bomb. We should have known that last time."

"You need to leave," Fury urged.

"Why shouldn't they guy let off a little steam?" Stark inquired.

"You know damn well why! Back off!" Rogers shoved Stark.

Stark shoved him back. "Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me."

"Yeah, big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

Hermione hid a chortle behind her magazine.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you." Rogers was in Stark's face now, and Hermione could see that this was headed downhill fast.

"I think I would just cut the wire."

_Good point, _Hermione thought.

"Always a way out," Rogers said angrily. "You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero, like you?" Stark raised his eyebrows. "You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

"Put on the suite, let's go a few rounds."

Thor laughed. "You people are so petty, and tiny." He shot a glance at Hermione.

"Yeah, this is a tee –" Banner started to say.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-"  
"Where?" asked Banner. "You rented my room."

Fury shook his head and held his hands up. "The cell was just –"

"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I know, I tried. I got low, I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on, I focused on helping other people. I was good until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk. You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?"

Hermione stood, pulling her wand from her thigh holster as Fury and Romanoff unhooked their guns.

Banner had picked up the scepter, and he was looking a little unstable.

"Dr. Banner," Rogers said slowly, "Put down the scepter."

Hermione suddenly got a picture of the Tesseract being held in a sewer in New York City. Manhattan to be exact. "Guys, it's in –"

A beeping began on one of the monitors as the Avengers turned towards Hermione.

"Manhattan…" Hermione finished slowly, as Banner moved to the monitor.

"She's right. Sorry, kids. You don't get to see my party trick after all."

Romanoff had turned towards Hermione with an expression on her face that Hermione really didn't like.

"I can get there faster," Tony was saying.

"You're not going alone!"

"You gonna stop me?"

"Put on the suit, let's find out!"

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man, Rogers!"

"Put on the suit!"

Romanoff walked forwards, and pulled Hermione out of the chair by her shirt, the magazine flapping to the ground.

"Loki told me that I should ask you about Lola Potter," Romanoff said in a deadly tone that had taken the rest of the room's attention.

"Agent Romanoff, put Granger down –"

Hermione was gaping like a fish as Romanoff ignored him. "Tell me, was Lola Potter adopted?"

Hermione nodded, unable to say anything. The rest of the room had frozen.

"What is her birthday?"

"August 12th, 1994."

"What is Lola Potter's full name?"

Hermione began to shake in Romanoff's grasp.

"Tell me."

Hermione didn't answer.

"TELL ME HER NAME!" Romanoff bellowed.

"Charlotte…Nikola…with a 'k'," Hermione whispered.

Romanoff dropped Hermione, who fell to the floor.

"Oh my god," Romanoff whispered as she backed into a lab table. "Oh my god."

The room fell silent, everyone inside frozen in shock.

At that moment, Lola skipped back in, Firebolt in hand. "Hey, Hermione guess what I –"

She looked up to find herself the center of attention once again, feeling even more uncomfortable as Agent Romanoff looked like she was about to cry. "Why does everybody keep staring at me when I –"

_Boom. _Suddenly the occupants of the room were thrown around as a large explosion rocked the Hellicarrier.

* * *

**Now, for the fun stuff! I've been waiting for ages for this part to get written so that I could finally get to writing the parts that I'm super-duper pumped for!**

**REVIEW! THEY TASTE BETTER THAN COOKIES!**


	7. Revelations, Clint and Weird Smells

**A/N: There's something I wanted to address, and that was the way I've been talking about how the Avengers used to be a team. I really wanted to recreate the tension between them, and the best way I knew how was to make them have already known each other, but not necessarily have liked each other. The fact that they used to be a team isn't really important, but I just needed that to fill some plot holes.**

**I also know how weird it sounds that seventeen years have passed and Tony Stark is still in the Iron Man suit. If it helps, just think of them all as having been really young when Lola was born. It's actually how I thought of them being when I first wrote it.**

**Disclaimer: No matter how many shooting stars there might be in the sky, I will never own HP or the Avengers.**

* * *

Lola groaned as she sat up. The first thing she noticed was a large hole in the ground where Romanoff and Banner had just been. Thor had disappeared, and Fury was already running out the door.

Over the sound of the alarms, she could hear Steve shouting at Tony to "Put on the suit!"

"Yep," Tony replied as they pushed each other out the door. "Princess, Granger, stay out of trouble!"

"Like hell," Lola yelled after him as she clambered clumsily to her feet. "Trouble's my middle name."

"Your middle name is Nikola," Hermione pointed out as she stood much more gracefully than Lola had.

"Still, I was only reinforcing the fact that I have a hard time staying out of trouble," Lola replied as she bent over to pick up the Firebolt that had fallen to the floor.

"Don't I know it," Hermione snorted. "Shall we completely ignore Mr. Stark's orders and get ourselves into a little snafu?"

"Might as well," Lola replied, grinning. "Have you got my cuffs?"

* * *

Natasha landed painfully on her stomach with a groan. She looked over her shoulder and nearly cried out at the sight of Bruce on his knees, breathing heavily. She tried to crawl to him, but her leg was trapped under debris, so she tried to talk to him, calm him down with her voice.

"Doctor?" she said hesitantly. "Bruce, you gotta fight it. This is just what Loki wants. We're gonna be okay. Listen to me."

At that moment, two men ran around the corner, and Natasha waved them away frantically so as not to alarm Bruce.

"We're gonna be okay, right? I swear on my life, I will get you out of this, you will walk away, and never –"

"YOUR LIFE?"

Natasha knew that voice. It was one she'd heard in Calcutta when Bruce had told her to stop lying. It was the Hulk.

Bruce's skin began to turn green, and he leapt away from Natasha. He shouted an inhuman roar of rage, before turning back to her and giving her an apologetic look.

"Bruce…" she whispered as he turned away.

Hulk roared.

_Shit, shit, shit, _Natasha thought as she worked her leg free and scrambled away.

The Hulk chased her.

Natasha really couldn't remember a time when she had been more afraid for her own life. Sure, Budapest had been a clusterfuck, but there weren't any big, green, rage monsters trying to kill her.

She ran up a flight of stairs, flipping over the handrail and onto the walkway just in time to avoid getting killed by Hulk smashing the stairs away.

Natasha ran, barely getting her body past each grate before the Hulk was ripping them down.

And then she fell.

She tumbled onto the ground, rolling a few feet before jumping to her feet.

Another inhuman shout, and Natasha realized just how close he was.

She pulled out a gun and shot at a pipe above the Hulk's head, which burst open with an explosion of hot gas.

The Hulk roared, hitting his head on the pipe and denting it. Natasha took the moment where he was distracted to sprint down a hall. The Hulk turned and began to follow her.

_Thump._

Natasha's breathing became erratic as the Hulk neared her.

_Thump._

Flying debris everywhere.

_Thump._

He would catch her.

_Thump._

A green flash came out of the corner of her eye, and Natasha threw her arms up to protect her head just as the Hulk swung a massive arm into her side, throwing her across the room.

Natasha hit the ground hard, and she looked up in horror as the Hulk ran at her.

Another flash from the corner of her eye, and Thor had slammed into Hulk, sending them both through a wall.

Natasha pushed herself into a corner, pulled her knees into her chest, and began to shake.

* * *

The actual "battle uniform" for the Order of the Phoenix was less of a uniform and more of an accessory. All it consisted of was two cuffs that were infused with several enchantments that would both strengthen and protect the wearer. The cuffs had been Hermione's answer to requests for the Order of the Phoenix members to have a uniform. The actual idea for the members to have uniforms was supported unanimously by the group, but the development had been a bit of a problem, and had had several of the members with wands at each other's throats.

The designs created by the older members had all included long, billowing cloaks and robes, which the younger members deemed too heavy and complained they would be too hard to move in. The younger members had created more Muggle military-style designs, the uniting idea being pants and no cloak, with some sort of identifying design. Both Molly Weasley and McGonagall had raised their eyebrows at the designs, each stating in no uncertain terms that they would not be caught dead in outfits like that.

Lola had been ready to tear her hair out by the handful until Hermione, bless that woman, had presented the idea of the cuff. When the member put the cuff on, their clothes would Transfigure themselves into battle-wear of the member's choice, and the Order had supported the idea one hundred percent.

"I can't believe that I _still _have to safe keep them for you," Hermione muttered as she pulled two pairs of cuffs from her bag and threw Lola's pair at Lola's head.

Lola, having the keen eye of a Seeker, caught both and slapped them on her wrists. Immediately, her denim cutoffs and oversized white T-shirt stretched and darkened until her legs were encased in black leggings, with thigh holders that held two Glocks, extra magazines, two knives, and a spot for her wand and shrunken broom. Lola's top half wore a tight, off the shoulder, dark grey three-quarter length shirt with a black tank top underneath. Her flip-flops were suddenly black combat boots with a knife slipped in either, and her hands were encased in black fingerless gloves.

"That was mean," Lola said, grinning as she shrunk her broom to the size of a pencil and holstered it.

Hermione, having slipped her cuffs on, now wore an outfit much the same as Lola's, only she wore skinny cargo pants that Lola knew would be filled with healing potions, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, and the like.

"You're absolutely fine." Hermione rolled her eyes.

Together, the two girls ran to the bridge where everything had gone straight to hell. Red lights flashed everywhere, everyone was yelling at one another, and Hill was above it all shouting, "Engine three is down! There is debris lodged in it, and we need someone to get out there and clear it out!"

Fury was right beside her, saying, "Stark, did you get that?"

"Fury," Hermione called. "What do you want us to do?"

He shot them a disbelieving look.

"Are you seriously asking me that right now?" he shouted. "We're under attack, what do you _think _you should be doing?"

Hermione and Lola looked at each other.

"I'm going to help Stark and Rogers," Hermione said.

Lola nodded. "I'm going to, umm…kick some ass?" she offered.

"Good idea!" Hermione was already running out the door, and Lola was quick to do the same.

"Right," she said to herself. "Let's go fuck shit up."

* * *

Hermione ran down the hall, towards the direction where she'd heard the explosion coming from.

Ahead of her, a section of the hall had been blown away, and there was a group of four people dressed in black, getting ready to shoot at something outside.

"Hello gents." Hermione smirked. "Care to play?"

Before any of them could react, she Stupefied the first gunman, who flew backwards, colliding with another. They hit the wall at the end of the hall hard, and slid to the floor, unconscious.

The other two turned to fire at her, but Hermione had already Disapparated. She landed behind them, and threw a high kick to the back of one guard's neck.

He fell to the floor, and the other gunman turned to face her. He blocked her first punch, and landed a hard punch to her stomach.

Hermione groaned quietly.

He raised his fist again, but Hermione was already recovered, and threw her knee into his groin.

He grunted, and bent over at the waist; she took the opportunity to knee him again under the jaw. His head snapped back, and Hermione grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed his forehead hard into the wall.

"Wasn't much of a playtime," she huffed as she walked out of the hole in the wall.

The first scene she saw was Rogers, on a platform, looking very confused.

"Speak English!" he was shouting into an earpiece.

A second later, he was voicing his understanding, and Hermione skipped up the steps.

"So, what's the plan, Cap?" she shouted over the wind.

He looked at her in plain irritation.

"You really aren't supposed to be here!" he replied. "No, not you, Stark! Miss Granger isn't supposed to be here!"

Hermione grinned. "I know that. Lola and I just have a terrible habit of disobeying most of the orders that people give to us. Terrible, really. I –"

Gunshots had her ducking, and Rogers pulling her backwards until she was precariously close to the edge of the walkway, which provided her with a terrifying view of what would happen if she took another step back.

"Stay down!" Rogers yelled at her as he started fighting the four or five gunmen that had apparently decided to finish what the previous four had tried to start.

"Like hell!" Hermione ran forward, and jumped off the platform. She Immobilized and Stunned two men in one fell swoop, and the third man turned to her.

Before he could fire a shot off, Hermione shouted "Incarcerous!" and watched in amusement as he began to struggle against the cords that quickly overcame him.

She pulled out her gun, and faced Rogers, who was still working on the two that originally went for him.

A loud bang sounded and one had fallen with a bullet in his head, while Rogers made quick work of the other, knocking him out with his own gun.

Rogers gave her a disapproving look.

"I told you to stay up there!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I've got selective hearing, Captain, along with the nasty habit of not listening to orders."

"A habit?"

"The _worst._ What does Stark need you to do?"  
He pointed to the red lever on the platform. "Pull that lever when he says so."

Hermione nodded. "Right, well I'll guard the hall –"

"No, no, no, _I'll _guard the hall –"

"Dibs on the hall!"

"Really?"

"Yes."

They stared at each other, a battle of wits, until Hermione turned, picked up a fallen gun and stood defiantly next to the hall. "Dibs."

Rogers rolled his eyes. "This is ridiculous," he muttered, going back to stand on the platform.

"You think this is ridiculous? I was just unofficially interrogated on Lola for reasons that I know not. _That _is ridiculous –"

"Lola is the only child of Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton."

The gun nearly clattered from Hermione's hands to the floor. "What?"

"_Lola _is the child of –"

"I heard you," Hermione said, putting a bullet in the head of a gunman who had run out of the hall. "I just don't get it."

"I don't really understand either," Rogers replied, pulling on the lever. "That's just the way it is."

* * *

If Lola was being entirely truthful with herself, she was having _entirely _too much fun.

She giggled maniacally as she Stunned a gunman so well that he flew through a wall, before turning to one that had snuck up on her and throwing a massive fireball from the magic fire hands at him.

Not waiting to see the damage the fireball had done, Lola began running again, in the direction of the detention level. She took a wrong turn somewhere, and ended up in the plane hangar, where Thor and Banner, who'd turned into the Hulk at some point, were making a mess of everything. Thor had his hammer, and Hulk was throwing plane wings around.

Hulk had made to slam a massive fist down on his head, and the demigod threw his arms up to stop it. "We are not your enemies, Banner!" he shouted. "Try to think!"

And then, from under Hulk's arm, Thor saw her in the corner, gun in hand.

"Lady Potter!" he cried. "You must run!"

Of course, that had drawn Hulk's attention to her. He punched Thor across the room and into a wall. Lola barely had time to think about how ridiculous the whole situation seemed before Hulk was running at her.

Lola thought of every technique she'd ever heard of when dealing with dangerous animals. They all seemed rather stupid when applying them to the situation at hand, but every one of Lola's instincts was screaming at her to hold her ground.

The Hulk quickly approached her, and Lola remained as still as she could, unable to move, half out of fear and half out of instinct.

He stopped, mere feet from her and roared, the pure force of him nearly knocking Lola off her feet. She recovered quickly and craned her neck up to stare at him.

Hulk roared.

Lola remained quiet, instead staring up at him with a mixture of compassion curiosity on her face. She tilted her head to the side.

Hulk beat his fists against the ground and roared once more, but didn't make a move against her.

"I am sorry," Lola whispered. "I would never wish this on anyone, Bruce, especially you."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thor climbing to his feet, and she prayed with every fiber of her being that the demigod would know enough to not interfere.

The Hulk sat down.

"Hulk not hurt Charlotte," he said quietly. "Charlotte Bruce's friend. Hulk protect Charlotte. Hulk protect Bruce."

She nodded, ignoring the fact that he had called her by her full name, and sat down too.

"Thank you," she replied. "Can I see him?"

"Hulk let Bruce see Charlotte."

And, with that, Hulk began to shrink and turn less green until it wasn't Hulk sitting before Lola, but Bruce.

Bruce put a hand around the waistband of the torn pants he was wearing. Confusedly, he looked around until his eyes landed on Lola.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked angrily. "You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"Indeed," Thor added, pushing himself off the wall and walking towards them. "Although that was a fantastic display of power, Lady Potter, I must agree with Banner. That was not a good idea."

"It worked, didn't it?" Lola asked, pushing herself off the ground. She looked at Thor. "You didn't seem like you were getting anywhere, so I stepped in."

"Still –" Bruce started, but Lola cut him off.

"Dr. Banner?" she said, bending down to pick up two pieces of rubble that had broken off the ceiling. "You're welcome."

"That was not –"

"A good idea?" Lola finished for him, Transfiguring the rocks into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "I disagree. However, bad idea or not, it was my decision to make, Bruce, and no matter how many degrees you have, I am sure that you do not have any sort of education in 'Decision-Making For Lola Potter'. If you did, you would know that I am the sort to act first and think later."

"Thanks," Bruce said quietly as she handed him the makeshift clothes. "You're right."

"Of course I am," Lola snorted at the same time as Thor disbelievingly said, "What?"

Bruce eyed the demigod as he slipped the shirt over his head. Lola turned her back for the doctor to have some privacy while putting the pants on.

"She's right. We can't decide what is best for Lola Potter, only she can decide that. If she wants to get herself smashed to bits by the rage monster, then we should let her –"

"I'm sensing some sarcasm here," Lola said, turning around to face him. "Honestly, Bruce, I've faced worse than the other guy before. I had a bit of an idea of what I was doing. Quit worrying about it. We're both OK."

She skipped away, leaving Thor and Bruce watching after her.

"I fear what will happen when Lady Romanoff and Agent Barton find out about the young Lady Potter's actions."

Bruce looked up at him. "Tell me about it. You should probably follow her. I _really _don't want to know what will happen if she gets hurt."

* * *

Lola ran to the detention level, where she looked on in surprise as one of Loki's henchmen opened the cell door. Loki was looking entirely content as he walked lazily from the cell.

Annoyed that she'd been detained by Thor and Bruce's rants about her safety (she was ALWAYS in trouble. Everyone, calm the fuck down.) Lola pulled out her gun and put a bullet in between the eyes of the henchman.

"Get back in the cell, please," Lola said, turning the gun on Loki.

He smirked. "And what if I say no?" he asked.

She fired.

The bullet went right through him. A hologram. Of course.

"I'm right here," a cold voice whispered in her ear.

Lola whipped around, her arm catching on nothing but air.

"Here I am."

Lola spun back around, eyes landing on Loki standing near the computer.

The gun went back into Lola's thigh holster, and the flames appeared on her hands.

His eyes floated to her hands, and he took a step towards her.

"Ah, the power of Death, literally, in your hands. Such a waste, Miss Potter, when you don't even realize your full potential. You could always join me, dear Charlotte. I can show you things, things you could never imagine possible –"

"Step away, please."

Lola looked out of the corner of her eye. Agent Coulson stood next to her, holding an incredibly large…gun?

"You like this?" he replied, pointing the gun more firmly at Loki. "We've been working on a prototype for awhile now."

Lola leaned over slightly. "What the fuck does that do, Coulson?" she asked.

"I'm not really sure. You wanna find out?"

Just then, Thor appeared, and he looked none too happy to see his brother out of the cell. "Loki!" he said angrily, lunging for the Frost Giant next to the computer, and diving right through it.

"Here I am," a voice behind Lola and Coulson whispered.

Lola felt a searing pain in the back of her head before she fell forward. The last thing she saw before everything went black was Coulson falling to the ground with a bleeding wound in his shoulder.

* * *

Natasha wasn't sure how long she'd been shaking in the corner, but after a minute, or a few hours, Fury's voice came over her comm.

_"It's Barton, he took our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?"_

_Clint. _The name was like a cold bucket of ice water being dumped over her head. She could stop him. She _would _stop him. She owed it to him, to the daughter they had never known, and most of all, to herself.

"This is Agent Romanoff. I copy."

And then Natasha was up, running to find Clint.

She found him walking on a platform, bow drawn. Natasha followed him for a few feet, until he sensed her there, spun around and shot an arrow at her.

Natasha was already swinging on a bar to another walkway. Clint followed suit, and suddenly they were fighting. Eventually, they ended up on a lower walkway, and Natasha was hard-pressed to get her husband back so that she could show him his daughter. _Their _daughter.

"I met her, you know," Natasha told him quietly as she dodged a punch. "Charlotte. Your daughter."

Clint seemed to freeze up for a moment, and that gave her an opening.

Natasha landed a hard hit to his head. He fell to his knees and groaned.

"Natasha…"

She took his head, and slammed it against the railing as hard as she could, effectively rendering him unconscious.

Thank God for cognitive recalibration, but Clint was going to have one hell of a headache when he woke up.

* * *

"What the fuck do you mean that Lola is Agent Romanoff's daughter?" Hermione cried as Steve leaned up against a wall, and Tony paced in front of them.

"What the fuck do you think it means?" Tony asked, flipping up the mask on his suit. "You seem like a smart girl, do you really not understand the concept of the birds and the bees?"

"Watch how you speak, Stark," Steve said coldly.

Hermione shot him a grateful look, before shooting a glare at Stark. "It just doesn't make sense!"

"Makes perfect sense to me!" Tony shouted. "I remember everything from that night, Rogers, do you?"

"You know I do," Steve said quietly. "You shouldn't even have to ask –"

_"Loki got Potter," _Fury said over the comm.

"What?" Steve and Tony were suddenly frowning, and Tony had stopped pacing.

_"Stark, Rogers, I know you heard me. Meeting, now."_

"Come on, Granger," Tony said, moving quickly into the hallway.

Hermione stood and began to run after Steve. "What happened?"

"Loki took my goddaughter."

* * *

Natasha pulled out her com unit. It was unlike her, to say the least. But, Clint needed her, and, for once, she was going to play wife/mother first and agent second.

She had strapped Clint down to a chair, and was in the process of trying to calm him down.

"Clint," she said softly. "You're gonna be alright."

"You know that? Is that what you know?" He shook his head. "I got…I gotta go in, though. I gotta flush him out."

Natasha shook her head at him in return. "We don't have that long, it's gonna take time."

He looked up at her, eyes pleading. "I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?"

She shot him a look. "You know that I do."

"Why am I back? How did you get him out?"

"Cognitive recalibration."

At his confused glance, she added, "I hit you really hard in the head."

"Thanks."

"Anytime." Natasha leaned forward and undid the straps on his arms.

She went to stand, but Clint caught her arm. "Tasha, how many agents?"

"Don't," she said firmly. "Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and witches and nothing we were ever trained for."

"And…her?"

Natasha took his hand and sat down on the bed. "She…is a lot like you. Total potty mouth. Back-talks a lot. First time I saw her, she called Rogers 'Capsicle' and told him she had no idea his shield was still stuck up his ass. She's so smart, absolutely beautiful –"

"So then she looks like you?"

Natasha smiled slightly. "She's got a fair bit of you in her, too. My hair, your eyes, your height, my ears, your skin coloring…She's a witch, Clint."

His eyebrows raised. "Like…"

"I mean, our daughter is a wand-wielding, broomstick-riding, potion-brewing witch."

He sighed. "I suppose I've seen weirder things."

"She really took to Stark."

Clint tilted his head back and groaned. "_Of course, _she would have."

"She hates her name, though."

Clint looked at her. "Excuse me?"

"Her friend, Hermione Granger, told us that if we wanted to make it off this Helicarrier with our lives, we would not call her Charlotte. She goes by Lola. Only very special people get to call her Charlotte."

"And where is she now?"

Natasha sighed and stood. Clint grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him.

"Tasha, _where is she_?"

The words were barely audible coming from her lips.

"Loki took her."

* * *

Tony was absolutely livid. That wasn't to say the rest of the Avengers weren't, but he was the worst at hiding his feelings.

"…And he just took her?" he shouted. "Just like that?"

"For the thousandth time, Stark," Hermione said, rubbing her head with her fingertips. "Yes."

Tony turned on her. "HOW ARE YOU SO FUCKING CALM RIGHT NOW?"

Hermione leveled him with a stare. "This isn't the first time Lola's gotten into life-threatening trouble, Stark, and I doubt it will be the last. I'm distancing myself from the situation so that I don't do what _you _are doing."

His hands slammed down on the table. "This isn't just anyone," he hissed. "This is _your _best friend. This is my goddaughter. How are you not doing what I'm doing?"

Steve had the exact same blank expression on as Hermione. "She's a soldier, Stark. It's what we do."

"He made it personal," Tony said, standing up straight, looking like a lightbulb had gone off inside his head.

"That's not the point –" Bruce started to say.

"That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"Tear us apart," Steve said.

"He wasn't counting on Lola to wait as long as she did before going to meet him," Hermione added.

"Right, but that really isn't the point," Tony said. "He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"Right. I caught his act in Stuttgart." Steve nodded.

"Yeah. That's just previews, this is...this is opening night. And Loki, he's a full-tail diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered –son of a bitch!"

Hermione nodded, grinning. "Now you're talking, Stark."

* * *

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?"

Natasha sat quietly as Clint banged his hands against the door.

"Clint…"

He turned back to her, rubbing one hand against his forehead and holding the other out in a 'what the fuck' motion. "So, he just…took her, Tasha? Is that what you're telling me?"

Natasha stood. "Clint, you need to back away from this. Distance yourself a bit, then get angry later. When it's time."

He sat down, not looking at all distanced. "Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eye socket, I'd sleep better I suppose."

She rubbed his shoulder. "Now you sound like you."

"But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you?"

"What do you think he did, Clint? He hung my ledger over his head, hell he hung my daughter over my head."

He caught the palm rubbing his shoulder with his and landed a kiss in the middle of it. "Distance yourself, Tasha," he whispered against her hand. "Get angry later."

Twenty minutes later, Steve knocked on the door and stuck his head in. "Time to go."

"Go where?"

He looked at Natasha like she was crazy. "Where do you think? We're going to go get my goddaughter back. I don't suppose you can fly one of those jets."

Clint walked out of the bathroom, wiping his hands. "I can."

Steve shot a questioning look to Natasha. She nodded.

"Well, let's go."

As they left the room, Steve couldn't help but roll his eyes at the smell of sex that seemed to have filtered from the room into the hall.


	8. Gingers, Pretty Dames and Insurance

**A/N: I am so sorry this took so long to get out! The sad part is, it's not even that long! There are really no redeeming qualities in this chapter, and in my personal opinion, it isn't that well written either! I really hated writing this chapter, but hopefully it'll get better by the next one! I have a nasty case of writer's block right now, and I've got summer homework to finish for my AP US History class to finish before next Wednesday! HOLY SHIT IM FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW! SO MUCH PRESSURE! AHHHH!**

**And may I just say that I feel insanely threatened by the people who wanted to strangle me for leaving a cliffhanger like that? Jeez Louiz you guys, seriously! LOL, you probably won't be very happy with me after this, though. Let's just say that cliffies are my drug of choice, and I am a stone-cold addict.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, but I've got some people that I'd like to respond to in this A/N:**

**Fantasy-Mania31: Lol, Lola is a total pottymouth! I took a bit of her character from myself, including the pottymouth bit (I am not proud of that!) so I hope it's not too presumptuous to say thank you for the compliment!**

**ImmortalWar: I am sorry to say that Lola doesn't kick ass in this chapter. She will soon, cross my heart and hope to get hit with Captain America's shield! But really, though? Butterscotch and white chocolate chip? You are a strange one, my dear friend!**

**PenNameless1994: Last chapter was probably my favorite so far, just because of the BlackHawk reconnection and Steve's last line. I saw him as being very loyal to those he loves, and I had to make sure you guys saw his dedication to finding his goddaughter!**

**Rue Mo: Why, thank you, doll! I think we will definitely be seeing some more of kick-ass Hermione and Lola soon! They make a team that is almost as good as peanut butter and jelly if I do say so myself!**

**Crazyhyper09: Thanks! I get very excited when I see new review alerts in my inbox! Hint, hint! PS, that is a great penname!**

**SlyLittleLuna1234: Thank you so much for letting me use your plotbunny! I cannot express in words how much it means to me that you are reading my story, and reviewing for me! I will totally keep reading your story, just because I always get so excited to read it!**

**Disclaimer: I went to Marvel last week and asked if they would consider giving me the Avengers. I got laughed out of the building, so I think it's safe to say I don't own them. JK Rowling still hasn't written me back, so don't think I own HP either.**

**ON TO THE STORY! AVENGERS AND ORDER MEMBERS ASSEMBLE!**

* * *

The Avengers, plus Hermione, sat waiting in the remains of what used to be Bruce's lab as cleanup went on around them.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

They gave awkward glances towards Hermione, who had taken to staring intently at her watch.

Finally, Clint sent an exasperated glance at the witch.

"When are they –"

Several pops sounded, and suddenly there were a dozen or so more bodies on the bridge than there were before. The surprise of it all had the Avengers, Bruce included, jumping to their feet, ready to fight.

Tony leaned over to Steve.

"Why are there so many gingers?"

Steve just shot him an annoyed look.

Hermione rolled her eyes up to the standing archer. "Now," she replied before turning her head to the group that had appeared. "What was the first thing I ever said to Charlotte Potter and Ronald Weasley?"

Ron stepped forward, mimicking Hermione's first-year voice. "'Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost his,'" he answered in a squeaky tone that had Hermione glaring at him, which he ignored. "Who led Lola Potter to the sword of Gryffindor, and why did I get wet soon after she found it?"

"A Patronus in the shape of a doe, which I believe to be the Patronus of one Severus Snape," Hermione answered as the Avengers sat down, seemingly convinced that the Order members weren't a threat. "And you had to jump in that pond to save Lola because that bloody locket was trying to drown her."

"Hold on," Tony said incredulously. "Are you saying that a piece of _jewelry _tried to drown my goddaughter?"

Ron leveled him with a look. "It was a nasty piece of _jewelry,_" he deadpanned. Then, his face grew confused. "Did he just say goddaughter?" Ron pointed to Tony, who didn't look at all placated with the explanation Ron had given him.

"Indeed he did, carrot-headed man," Thor boomed, making Hermione grin in amusement.

"There something we missed, Hermione?" Ginny asked, staring wide-eyed at the huge demigod.

"Well…" Hermione launched into a brief explanation of the day's findings.

When she finished, Oliver Wood was looking worriedly between the six super-humans.

George elbowed him in the gut.

"Bet you'll have fun asking Potter on a date now, eh Wood?" Fred snorted, and Oliver swallowed audibly.

"That is absolutely, positively none of your business, Fred!" Ginny scolded, punching her brother in the arm. He winced.

The Avengers looked the Keeper up and down, visibly judging him.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop it, you're scaring him," she said, staring daggers at the six people.

They turned to her.

"That's kind of the idea," Tony pointed out.

"Lola's her own person, and she really won't appreciate your actions, intentions be damned," she replied firmly. Oliver gave her a grateful look.

"But –" Steve started.

Ginny jumped in. "But nothing! She's a legal adult –"

"She's only seventeen –" Clint started to say.

" –in the eyes of the wizarding world, Lola Potter is a full-fledged witch! And, even if she wasn't, she's fought in a war, done things you Muggles probably couldn't imagine. She can look out for herself."

"And whenever she couldn't –" Seamus started.

"Or didn't," Dean added.

" –We did."

"Besides," Fred said. "Wood's been in love with the girl for seven years, we know exactly what his intentions –"

"Alright, I think that's enough," Oliver cut in, face bright red.

He shot a glare at the twins.

_"This is your fault!" _he hissed in a deadly tone. _"I just might kill you later."_

"Oh, we're so scared!" they cried sarcastically in unison.

"Can we focus, please?" Steve asked suddenly.

"Right," Hermione said, as she made quick introductions. She didn't miss the curious stare Steve had sent Kelly Hardwicke Collins ("Call me Collins" she'd said gruffly), and she _certainly _didn't miss the seductive glance the dark-skinned Quidditch player had sent Steve in return. The super-soldier had blushed wildly and looked away, but kept sneaking glances when he thought Collins wouldn't notice.

_I must check into that, _Hermione thought briefly before continuing introductions.

Thor had started to stare in a very obvious manner at Jennifer "Watson" Holmes when Hermione had introduced her. Jennifer had been dubbed "Watson" by the Muggle-raised members of the Order after Sherlock Holmes's partner; soon after meeting her, the Order discovered that any derivative of Jennifer had been too close to Ginny or Gin to easily distinguish between the two. Thus, they'd taken to calling the tall blonde "Watson", and it was a funny coincidence that the woman was also healer-certified, a fact that they didn't find out until later.

Watson didn't give Thor the time of day, causing smirks between many of the Order members. Watson wasn't known for her tact; she was a no-nonsense person with a dry sense of humor and a notable lack of patience, especially for the opposite sex.

"…and that's Dean Thomas," Hermione finished with the tall Afro-British man, who gave a slight nod in greeting.

"So now that the meet-and-greet's over," Tony said impatiently, "How are we going to get Lola back?"

"And save the world," Hermione added, tilting her head slightly.

"But more so the first than the second," Tony finished.

A few moments of silence.

"Guys? I think I've got a plan."

The group collectively turned to Collins.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Ginny said, sounding suspiciously like Molly Weasley with the authority of her tone. "Spit it out!"

"Well," Collins continued hesitantly, "It's utter madness, in my most professional opinion. And we're going to require a certain person with a slight case of narcissism to provide a distraction."

Tony looked almost indignant.

"I prefer the term self-obsessed if you don't mind."

* * *

"So, Rogers," Hermione said casually as she sat down in the quinjet. "I saw you staring at Collins earlier."

The super-soldier began to sputter, while looking around wildly to make sure no one else had heard. Bruce, who was sitting next to Hermione, had, though, and he struggled to hide his smirk.

"I – I –"

"It's okay, you know," Hermione whispered. "If you fancy her, I mean."

Steve shook his head. "She's a beautif –pretty dame – I mean woman," he stuttered, his eyes following Collins's hand gestures as she imitated swinging a beater's bat while speaking in quiet tones with Fred, George and Oliver.

"She's single," Hermione offered. "You should ask her out sometime."

Collins mimed beating George over the head with a bat and the small group of four erupted into quiet giggles.

"Uh, Hermione?" Bruce said, smiling slightly. "I don't think Rogers knows the first thing about women."

"Women have vaginas," Hermione stated, grinning. "That's the first thing you should know."

Steve turned bright red, and Hermione laughed into her sleeve.

* * *

Lola groaned for the second time that day as her eyes forced themselves open.

She had been tied to a chair by her hands and feet, and a layer of duct tape had been stuck to her mouth.

Lola tilted her head off her chest, and looked around for an escape route.

She was in what appeared to be a penthouse, and she guessed by the extravagance of the room and the view out the window that she was in StarkTower. Loki was nowhere to be found, and there was nothing in her vision that she could use to escape.

_Fuck, fuck, fuckity-fuck, fuck, fuck! This whole "getting the Tesseract" thing was supposed to be no-fuss for me, _Lola thought to herself.

_Yeah, well nothing is ever no-fuss for you, _a little voice inside her head told her. _What makes you think things would start being simple now? And you should really watch your language._

_ Touché. And, no, I really don't think I need to, so do me a favor and shut the goddamned hell up!_

The little voice didn't say anything.

_Okay, Potter, time to save yourself._

Another experimental wiggle told her that she had been bound with rope.

_I've got the power of fire, and he ties me with _rope? _What the hell is wrong with this guy?_

The flames came to her hands, and, within moments, the ropes had fallen from her upper body. Quickly, Lola bent down to burn the rope off her feet, and noticed with a smirk that Loki had left most of her weapons on her person. The only thing he had visibly taken was her wand.

Didn't mean that she didn't have a broom, though.

Lola stood, peeling the duct tape off her mouth with a grimace before working her jaw to try and get some feeling back into her lips.

_That fucking hurt._

Lola realized with a start that the little voice had been right.

_I told you, _the voice said with a smirking tone, _You have a potty-mouth._

_ Did I give you permission to speak? No? THEN SHUT UP!_

"Ah, the little witch has escaped."

Lola whipped herself around to find Loki at an uncomfortably small distance away from her.

"You did bind me with rope, of all things," Lola replied calmly, her fingers twitching at her thigh holsters. "And I do have the power of fire. How could I not?"

"But that is what I was expecting," Loki said with a creepy smile that had Lola backing up a few feet.

"May I have my wand back, please?" she asked coldly.

"You know," he said. "I've seen your use of your powers. You really…"

He took her wand between his two hands and snapped it in half.

_Shit! Not again!_

"…don't need this, now, do you?"

"Insurance policy," Lola explained with a straight face, masking her irritation. "In case Death decides to take her powers back from me."

Loki shrugged, pocketing the two halves of her wand. "Oops." He smirked, not looking at all remorseful.

"I really wish you hadn't done that," said Lola.

"Ah, but I don't have to care, now, do I?" he replied.

Then, Lola's face became one of understanding.

"You truly think that you will succeed today."

"How can I not?"

"You will lose," she said, making eye contact with him again.

"Oh, I doubt it," he replied, leveling the scepter at her. "When this battle is over, all will fall before me. Those who seek to oppose me will be slaughtered, and I will control everything.

"You could join me, Charlotte –"

_Lola, the name's Lola, you crazy fuck._

"– and together we would be unstoppable."

_I think not. _

Lola's chin jutted out. "No thanks, I've got enough on my plate already. Besides, I've already told you that you will lose."

"And why is that?"

"You lack purpose," she said quietly. "A reason behind your actions. You seek to control Earth because you think it will fill a hole in your black heart, one that you believe was created because you weren't made king of Asguard, because your parents didn't love you enough to want you.

"Well, let me tell you something, _Loki Laufeyson_. No matter how much power you have, whether or not you control the Earth, whether or not you control _me…_that won't fill whatever void is in your soul."

"Oh, yes?" he asked, reaching a finger out to touch her face. "And what will?"

"I'll let you know when I figure it out," she replied, pushing his hand away. "In the meantime, I'd prepare for the ass-kicking of your lifetime. I don't know what you've learned about me, but you should at least know that I'm not really the kind to stand for oppression."

"Is this a battle to the death, then?" Loki asked, voice lowering to a dangerous tone.

"Not death. If it were a battle to the death, you would lose in a heartbeat. Have you forgotten that I am her Mistress, and you supposedly cannot die?"

At the sound of gunshots and yells, they looked out the window to where the SHIELD quinjet had landed in the middle of the square. People rushed out of it, some on brooms, and some on foot. Lola grinned inwardly at the sight of multiple heads of red hair.

Her grin was lost when Loki suddenly seized her by the throat and pushed her towards the window.

"You might not be able to die," Loki said with an evil smile on his face. "But you can still feel _pain._"

With that, he threw her into the window, her body connecting painfully with the glass before breaking through it.

The wind and sounds of screaming rushed through her ears, and Lola realized with a start that the screams were coming from her own throat.

_Come on, Potter! Save yourself! You've got a broom, right?_

Before Lola could get a chance to try and save herself, an arm threw itself around her waist and jerked her fall to a screeching halt.

"Oh, that is so going to bruise later," Lola groaned.

"I believe the words you're looking for are 'thank you'," Tony said from above her.

He took them towards the ground, and Lola rolled her eyes.

"I had it under control."

Tony shot her a look through the Iron Man mask, and Lola could almost see the reciprocated eye roll.

"Did you want me to drop you? Cause I can, if you want."

"No," Lola said quickly. "This is good. Thank you, Tony."

"You're welcome, Princess." He set her down next to the group of people near the quinjet before landing himself.

The group turned to Lola.

"Hey, so what's the –would you guys stop staring at me like that?! This is getting really annoying!"

* * *

**A/N: HAHA, I am Queen of the Cliffies! I am ready to write, and my force, you readers, will follow. The favorites will be mine, the reviews will be mine. And the humans, what can you do, but burn and wait for the next chapter? (LOLZ, I have no idea what I'm saying right now.)**

**REVIEW PLEASE! 20 REVIEWS AND THE NEXT CHAPTER WON'T BE A CLIFFY! I SWEAR ON THOR'S GREAT BICEPS!**


	9. Being Awesome, Souvenirs and Dates

**A/N: I, as Queen of the Cliffies, have gotten over 20 reviews for the last chapter. Therefore, this chapter is NOT a cliffhanger (at least in my definition of one!)**

**In all seriousness though, I just started school, and this is my junior year, and my class schedule is CRAZY with a capital INSANE! I'm going to try and upload as much as I can, but please be patient with me!**

**This chapter is the battle scene, but not the really important part. Just a bit of fun to tide y'all over, cuz I really wanted to get this out to you!**

**The next chapter is probably going to be a cliffy, though! I'm already going through cliffy withdrawal, and I can't hold out! There is absolutely nothing you can do to change it!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own HP or the Avengers. I only own Collins and Watson.**

* * *

Lola sighed irritably as she looked around herself in observation.

They had been at it for what felt like hours, and the only things to show for it were some dead Chitauri, discarded guns that had run out of ammo, and a hell of a lot of mayhem.

_This is getting ridiculous, _Lola thought as she threw her leg into the throat of a Chitauri, sending it flying backwards. _Actually, this has long passed "getting" ridiculous. It's been ridiculous for seven years now._

As Lola threw a fireball at another Chitauri that had rushed her, Lola couldn't help but laugh at Watson's shout of, "Oh, now we're talking! Hello gorgeous!"

* * *

The police had been quick to arrive on the scene, but really weren't sure what to do about the impending-doom situation.

The police sergeant was staring up at the portal in open fascination as an officer ran up to him.

"Sir…" he panted, "White House has given us an hour to clean this up before they send in the National Guard."

The sergeant looked at the officer incredulously.

"Does the army know what's happening here?"

The officer looked timid. "…do we?"

Suddenly, a man dressed in a red, white and blue outfit landed on top of a police car, holding a shield.

"I need men in these buildings," the man said, pointing to the surrounding areas. "There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway; you keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th Street."

The sergeant looked skeptical.

"Why the hell should I take orders from you?"

Two aliens jumped at them, and the man threw a hard punch at one, and slammed his shield easily into the other.

The sergeant began shouting out orders as he walked away.

"I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets! We're gonna set up a perimeter all the way back to 39th…"

* * *

If Watson were being honest with herself, she was having way too much fun. Like, over-the-top, completely absurd amounts of fun, that would be totally inappropriate for the tough-girl image she tended to portray.

And, if she were being _completely _honest, she had found the tall demigod's obvious stares to be really hot.

Really, really hot.

Like, rated NC-17 hot.

_Focus, Watson, focus._

Watson leapt off the overturned moving van with a (internal) shriek of delight when she saw a highly familiar object lodged underneath a piece of rubble. She dodged under a blast from a Chitauri and pulled the metal bat out from the rock.

"Watson, heads up!" Romanoff shouted from where she was battling two Chitauri on the bridge.

With a grin, Watson whirled around and let the bat connect with the side of the incoming Chitauri's head.

"Oh, now we're talking! Hel-lo gorgeous!" Watson rested the bat against her tattooed shoulder and went to crack some more Chitauri skulls.

* * *

Thor had trouble concentrating on the enemy when the Lady Watson was nearly hit by a Chitauri.

She was an incredibly powerful and magnificent woman; that was obvious enough. Thor found himself lusting after this woman, this amazing, proud, _queen _of a woman. For whatever reason people called her "Watson", she was far more suited to the name "Jennifer". She was far too stunning, far too womanly in appearance for a man's name.

Thor looked up in wild alarm as he heard her shout of "Oh, now we're talking! Hel-lo gorgeous!" and smiled.

Jennifer was walking away, a long metal object slung over her shoulder, trying in vain to hide her excitement at finding the weapon.

* * *

Natasha and Clint were down the street from Lola, Watson and Thor. Natasha was dealing out several thigh chokes and ass-kicking while keeping a trained eye on Lola. Clint, however, had lost almost all concentration watching over his daughter.

"Just like Budapest all over again!" Natasha said casually as she stood behind an overturned car and fired at Chitauri.

Clint looked a little baffled as he sent an arrow through a Chitauri's head. "You and I remember Budapest very differently."

Natasha smirked. "I'm not so sure you remember Budapest at all."

"Of course I remember Budapest!" Clint cried indignantly as he let another arrow fly. "You really think I wouldn't remember?"

"I don't know, hubby," Natasha replied, her voice low and husky. "Do you?"

"No," grumbled Clint. Then, he perked up. "I do remember the souvenir, though!"

"Obviously." Natasha rolled her eyes, firing off several more shots. "I carried that souvenir around for nine months."

"It's a great souvenir, though," Clint commented, watching in amusement as Lola buried a knife in the middle of a Chitauri's head. "I love it."

"No arguments there."

* * *

In the minds of the Weasley twins, it was just another normal day. Commit heinous acts of tomfoolery, screw around, blow stuff up, and create general mayhem all while dealing with some new shocking piece of information…yeah, just another predicable day.

Only, with the added bonus of an alien army hell-bent on taking over the world.

It's not every day one gets to fight an alien army hell-bent on taking over the world.

The twins were laughing maniacally from their brooms as they watched their newest contraptions create mayhem.

It was a brilliant invention, actually an idea given to them by none other than Hermione Granger. In honor of the idea's founder, they'd named the contraption the Bucktoothed-Bomber, but Hermione had obviously not appreciated the name. She'd spent hours upon hours trying to find a better name for the invention, but, unfortunately for the bookworm, however the name had stuck.

The Bucktoothed-Bomber was essentially a cross between a grenade, the tiny blue birds from Angry Birds and a lot of fireworks. Hermione, actually having done some research on Tony Stark's former days as an arms developer, likened the Bucktoothed-Bomber to one of his Jericho missiles, only with a lot more flash.

It was by mere chance that Fred and George had had the foresight to bring the Bucktoothed-Bomber and decided to test their latest design on unsuspecting Chitauri.

"Is it my turn already?" George asked excitedly as the smoke began to clear away, and more hovercrafts flew towards the pair.

"Indeed it is, Georgie," Fred replied with a grin. "Fire away!"

George pulled a grenade-like object from his pocket, pulled the pin and threw it at the group of hovercrafts.

"Fire in the hole!" they shouted in unison.

It was a spectacular sight to behold. As the Bucktoothed-Bomber flew through the air, it split apart and turned into what appeared to be teeth with wings (also a tribute to the unimpressed Hermione). The teeth flew at and embedded themselves into the hovercrafts and promptly blew up into a sparkling array of rainbow fireworks, accompanied by flying hovercraft parts and a lot of smoke.

The sight was so spectacular, in fact, that it rivaled the twins' escape from Hogwarts during their seventh year.

The twins laughed and slapped hands.

"Nice one, Georgie!"

* * *

Collins had to admit that there were other ways she'd rather be spending her day.

Like, maybe getting stuck in a meeting.

Or having a major operation.

Or cooking dinner for the other Order members, which was always a pain in the ass because most of the Weasley boys and quite a few other members could eat their way through a horse.

_Still preferable to this though, _Collins thought as she sent a Reductor Curse over her shoulder.

Not stopping to see the result, Collins pressed herself closer to her broom and took a sharp turn around a building.

Apparently, the hovercrafts were not great with sharp corners. About half of the group following Collins lost control of their machines and spun into buildings.

"Idiots," Collins snorted to herself.

Then, a Chitauri fired at her.

Collins jerked violently to the side as pain ravaged her left arm. There wasn't any time to contemplate her pain, though, as she had begun to spin towards the ground at a dizzyingly fast pace. Out of the corner of her eye, there was a lot of smoke, and she realized suddenly that the Chitauri had hit her broom. The back of her broom was alight with flame, and Collins found herself in a bit of a catch-22.

_Shitshitshitshitshit! Shit! Come on, Collins! Problem solve!_

Unlike Potter, Collins was not the type to enjoy falling through the air. Understandably, she'd put herself in the position to be knocked off her broom, but it didn't mean she had to like it.

Just as Collins opened her mouth to scream, an iron-like arm wrapped around her midsection.

"Need a hand?"

Collins threw herself off the broom and into the viselike grip of Tony Stark.

"Thanks for the save!" she said, watching in utter disappointment as her broom hit a building and splintered apart before falling to the ground where it shattered.

"No problem," he replied. "I'd hold on _really _tight now if I were you."

"What –ohmygod Stark! Slow the fuck down!"

He only chuckled as he took her towards the ground.

* * *

Thor landed in the penthouse of StarkTower.

"Loki!" he shouted upon seeing his brother.

Loki turned towards him, looking less concerned at the sight of the infuriated Thor than he really should have.

"Ah, brother, come to watch the show?" Loki gestured carelessly to the war that was going on below them.

Thor ignored the comment, and seized his brother by the front of his robes, knocking his ridiculous headdress off his head.

"You put an end to this," Thor hissed. "_Now_."

Loki looked intrigued.

"Have I angered you? No, I don't think I will."

Thor's grip tightened on Loki's robe, and he threw his brother to the ground.

"You threaten Midgard, the world that I love…You threaten my goddaughter, whom I also love, and you ask if you have angered me?"

"Sarcasm, dear brother…" Loki choked out.

Thor pulled Loki to his feet, forcing him to look out over the destruction taking place.

"Look at this!" Thor shouted. "Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule?"

Loki was unconcerned. "It's too late. It's too late to stop it."

"No. We can, together."

Loki's arm drew back and thrust forward in a blur of movement. Thor grunted, and he was falling off the balcony, a tiny knife in his gut.

"Sentiment!" Loki hissed.

* * *

Hermione strategically eyed the burn on Collins' arm as Tony landed her on the ground.

"How's the arm?"

Collins nodded her thanks to Tony, who blasted all the surrounding Chitauri in the area before flying away.

Collins merely grumbled as she pulled her wand out and pointed it towards the sky.

"What was that?" Hermione asked as she sent a _Confundus _towards an unsuspecting Chitauri, causing it to fly into a building.

"Bloody bastard broke my brand-new broom," Collins huffed, red sparks flying from the end of her wand.

"I warned you about bringing your brand-new broom –" Hermione stopped chastising when Collins shot her a very dirty glare.

"Don't. Just don't."

* * *

Bruce sighed irritably from the rooftop. Nothing he could think of was working, and until they could shut the portal, the Chitauri would keep on coming.

"Hey, Dr. Banner?" the redheaded girl –Ginny had been her name, asked. She and her brother…Ron, that was his name, had been assigned to keep the Chitauri off his back while he worked.

"Yes?" Bruce replied, trying to keep the irritation at being interrupted out of his voice.

"Maybe you should come back to it, after we figure out how to get the other doctor out of the mind control," she said a little timidly.

It actually wasn't a bad idea. Natasha hadn't told him how she'd gotten Clint out of Loki's mind control, and Selvig was the only one who could figure out how to close the portal.

Bruce looked over to where the two teenagers had bound and gagged Selvig. "For his safety!" Ron had explained cheerfully while Ginny attacked the doctor with a spell that made ropes appear out of nowhere and bind the man until he could barely move.

"You're right," he sighed. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

There was suddenly a lull, and Steve watched in horror as a Leviathan flew out of the portal.

"Stark, you getting any of this?"

* * *

Tony flew down so that he was just above the Leviathan.

"Seeing…" he said. "Still working on believing. I'm going to try and get its attention."

He fired a laser in an attempt to break the shell.

"Sir, we will lose power before you break through that shell."

"Fine," Tony grumbled. "We'll try something else, then, shall we?"

* * *

Thor landed on the ground near Clint, Lola, Watson, Collins, Hermione, Natasha and Steve.

"The powers surrounding the cube are impenetrable."

Ron and Ginny, who was carrying a white-faced Bruce on the back of her Nimbus 2001, landed in front of them. Dean, Seamus, Oliver and the twins also set their brooms down next to the group.

"He's right," Bruce said a little shakily, dismounting as fast as he could.

_"We've gotta deal with these guys," _Tony put in through the Iron Man suit.

"How do you suggest we do that?" Ron asked.

"As a team," replied Steve.

"I have unfinished business with Loki," Thor said.

"Get in line," Clint said at the same time as Lola cut in with, "Not until I put a fireball through his greasy head."

"Save it," said Steve even as he shot Lola a strange glance. "Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he's gonna need us –"

Several pops of Apparation interrupted Steve once more, and a few more people had arrived on the scene. Neville, Charlie, Bill, Fleur, Luna, Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and…Blaise Zabini?

"You're late," Hermione commented sharply. "Why's he here?" She gestured with a jerk of her chin to Zabini.

"Calm yourself, Granger, the war's over," Zabini replied coolly. "I didn't even fight against you."

"We still don't like you, and you didn't fight with us, either," Lola replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "And it's not like we were friends before, either. We-" she gestured between herself and Hermione "-were lowly mudbloods, and you were a stuck-up prat living off your gold-digging mother's money."

"Oooh, good one, Potter," Seamus said with a grin.

"I don't disagree with you on that," Zabini stated, shooting Seamus an unidentifiable look. "But I'd like to redeem myself for my past…transgressions."

_"Can we please focus here?" _Tony asked over the suit.

"Alright, let's save the teenage drama for later!" Natasha shouted. "We've got business to take care of."

The fighting stopped, and the witches and wizards looked to Lola for instruction.

_"Thank you," _said Tony. _"Tell everyone to get ready. I'm bringing the party to you."_

As he spoke, the group saw the suit fly around a corner. Moments later, a Leviathan followed him, crashing through a building and causing it to collapse.

"I don't see how that's a party," Natasha commented.

Tony flew lower until he could touch the ground, and the Leviathan followed suit, it's huge belly sliding against the ground and destroying everything it came in contact with.

_"Mon dieu," _Fleur whispered as she pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

Bruce smirked, and began walking towards the crashing Leviathan.

"Doctor! Now might be a good time for you to get angry."

Bruce looked over his shoulder with a slight smile on his face.

"That's the secret, Cap. I'm always angry."

His skin rippled and turned green. Within moments, the Hulk was roaring and putting his body weight against the Leviathan.

Lola could already see where the action was headed.

"SHIELD CHARMS ON MY COUNT!" she roared.

The Leviathan began to fall apart, vertebrae-like objects shattering and falling off.

"Now?" Hermione asked.

"NO!"

Tony skidded up behind them.

"Hold on!"

He fired a missile into a soft spot, and the Leviathan exploded into a fiery inferno of flying metal and other body parts.

"NOW!"

Suddenly, there were several shouts of _"Protego maxima!" _and a shield erupted around the group.

Over the sound of the explosion, there were angered shouts and yells from nearby Chitauri.

The five Avengers looked quite impressed, but Hulk just roared at the exploding Leviathan.

Lola stared confusedly at Clint –he'd taken a step towards her when Tony had shot the missile…it was almost –protective?

The smoke cleared away, and the wizards brought down the shield.

Thor looked quite giddy.

"You are most impressive beings!" he shouted happily, slapping Seamus on the back so hard that the younger wizard took a few halting steps forwards. "You radiate power!"

* * *

Loki had seen the defeat of the Leviathan. He was not happy.

"Send the rest!"

* * *

The celebration didn't last long. More hovercrafts flew through the portal, followed by more Leviathans.

"Call it, Captain," Tony told Steve.

"Alright, listen up," the star-spangled man with a plan said. "Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment."

Steve looked to Lola.

"How many of you can fly with the brooms?"

"Everyone except for Luna, Hermione and Fleur, and Collins's broom was just blown to bits," Lola replied very matter-of-factly. "But Collins, Fleur and Hermione are both capable of unsupported flight for short periods of time."

"Right," Steve spoke to the group of wizards. "I want about half of you on the ground and half of you in the air, but I want you guys spread out over the next couple of blocks."

The wizards looked to Lola, appearing a little confused at the change of authority.

Lola tilted her head forwards. "Why are you just standing there? You know what to do!"

The group snapped into action, all of them taking off on brooms or running away until it was just Lola, Collins and the Avengers.

He turned to Clint and pointed to a nearby building. "Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays."

He turned to Tony and gestured to the edge of the city. "Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or your turn it to ash."

Clint looked at Tony.

"Wanna give me a lift?"

"Right," replied Tony. "Better clench up, Legolas."

He grabbed the back of Clint's uniform and took off.

Steve turned to Thor.

"Thor, you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal, slow them down." Thor nodded and began to whirl his hammer. "You've got the lightning, light the bastards up."

Thor took off.

It was just Natasha, Lola, Steve and Hulk, who was getting a little antsy.

"You three and me, we stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. And Hulk?"

The big green rage monster looked over at Steve with a grunt.

Steve pointed at him.

"Smash!"

Hulk grinned a wide-toothed grin and leapt onto the nearest building with a loud roar.

As Hulk disappeared, Collins put herself into a fighting stance before giving Steve a mischievous grin.

"Hey, Cap?"

He looked at her warily.

"Yes?"

Her grin got even more mischievous.

"After this is over, can I interest you in a date?"

Steve began to sputter.

"I –I –umm…"

Lola's cheeks were red from her failed attempts at hiding her amusement.

"He says yes," Lola answered for him as she leaned around his body to look at the dark-skinned Beater. "How about Tuesday night at that Italian place just down the street from Grimmauld Place? You can buy, just to freak him out."

Natasha giggled under her breath.

Collins's smile reached her ears.

"Be ready at two PM your time, Cap."

Steve could only nod emphatically.

"O-ok."

Natasha's eyes were fixed on a squadron of Chitauri approaching them.

"Incoming," she noted unperturbedly.

Lola's hands were suddenly ablaze, which caught Steve and Natasha's eyes with slight interest.

"Cool trick," Natasha said.

"Not a trick," Lola corrected as she wound her arm back.

Then, with all the force she could muster, Lola's arm pitched forward, and a fireball released itself from her arm.

It flew down the street until it hit the squadron.

Chitauri parts went flying, and Collins whistled.

"Should have been a chaser there, Potter. You've got one hell of a throw."

"By the looks of that, I should have been a pitcher for a baseball team, but Wood also told me I should've been a Beater," Lola replied, grinning. "And I've also been told I'd make a damn good Keeper. My God, I'm fucking awesome!"

* * *

***Watson -For Watson, I would probably pick either Julie Marie Berman (who plays Lulu Spencer-Falconeri from "General Hospital") or Keira Knightley (from back when she was in that biopic "Domino"). I'm leaning more towards JMB, though, because I really love her on GH.**

***Collins - Collins would be played either by Lauren London or Gabrielle Union. I really like the idea of Collins being black, so that won't change, even if you totally despise the idea.**


	10. Wrackspurts, Jumping, and Love

**So, here it is! The next chapter, and woo-wee did I not have fun trying to get through the rest of the battle scene! Anyhoo, lots of family stuff in this one, a hint of romance, and (SURPRISE!) a CLIFFY! Hehehe!**

**As you can probably imagine, since this is my first fanfic, I am not great with battle scenes. So please, while you're reading, just imagine that everyone, mostly Lola, is kicking ass and taking name. **

**I wrote this when I really should've been working on my AP US History and American Lit. Honors homework, but I was so much more inspired to do this! I've got lots coming up, so MAKE SURE YOU REVIEW!**

** Yoruko Rhapsodos: You really aren't going to like this, and I am SO sorry, but I really couldn't resist!**

**Aeryun: Corny is my middle name! **

**DISCLAIMER: There are not enough eyelashes, shooting stars, four leaf clovers, or abs on Captain America, Thor and Hawkeye to make me the owner of HP or the Avengers. So please, don't assume that I'm writing this story for anything but for fun.**

**NOW BACK TO THE GOOD PART!**

**OH, PS, I AM NOT A DOCTOR! Please do not expect that any of the medical stuff/terminology/issues coming up will be totally accurate. I've done some research, but it's not extensive, so just roll with it POR FAVOR!**

* * *

As Lola fought alongside Collins, Steve and Natasha, she noticed with irritation how much the master assassin and the super-soldier would watch her out of the corners of their eyes.

The actions came back to bite Steve in the ass when a Chitauri rushed him and managed to throw him to the ground. Without turning away from the Chitauri she was battling, Lola threw out a hand, shouted "_Expelliarmus!", _and smirked at the satisfying sound of a body mass being thrown against a building.

With her other hand, Lola blasted her Chitauri in the face with a ball of fire. A horrible sound emitted from its throat, and it fell to the ground, twitching. Another blast, and it went still.

"Thanks," Steve said, pulling himself gracelessly to his feet.

"Surprised you didn't get killed in the forties there, Cap," Lola noted conversationally. "Either that, or you're just getting sloppy."

He shot her a look, and Lola could make out the beginnings of a smile from underneath his mask.

"Should I just go home, then?"

Lola eyed the next quad of Chitauri, and used her magic to throw an Escalade down the street in their direction. "Definitely," she replied. "Go home and knit or cook dinner or something, and leave the fighting to the big dogs."

"Two flaws with that plan," Steve grunted as he threw his shield.

"Oh?" Lola looked up, and launched a fireball at a glider that was too close to Oliver's tail for comfort. It blew into pieces, and Oliver shot her a grateful look before flying away.

"One, you aren't a dog." The shield flew back into Steve's hands, and Lola got a little jealous.

"I could turn myself into one," Lola retorted. "I am a witch."

"Two, I'm bigger than you are."

A Chitauri rushed at them, and Steve rammed his shield into its face. It fell to the ground and was still.

Lola compensated for her lack of a kick-ass shield by throwing a fireball at another, and saying, "That can also be remedied. I am a witch, you know."

* * *

Tony would have never admitted this to anyone, but he was starting to get a little nervous. The gliders were closing in on him, and he really didn't want to get fried by a blast.

"Barton, whaddya got for me?"

"Well, they can't bank worth a damn," Clint replied over his earpiece, sounding slightly amused. "Find a tight corner."

Tony did as Clint suggested, and half the gliders were taken out.

"Huh," Tony said. "What else have you got?"

"Thor's taking on a squadron down on Sixth."

Tony felt a little affronted.

"And he didn't invite me."

Clint snorted.

"Considering you've got the ego the size of your bank account, I could understand why he wouldn't."

"There's a reason for that," Tony quipped as he flew towards Sixth.

"I'm dying to hear what that might be."

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist –"

"Narcissist?"

"Your child is a pottymouth!" Tony retorted.

"She's been taught well, then."

"I like her!" Tony fired off a missile.

"Me too."

* * *

"Did you know," Luna asked Blaise casually, "That your head is surrounded by Wrackspurts? _Expelliarmus!_"

"Is it now?" Blaise gave her a confused look. "What exactly is a Wrackspurt?"

"Little creatures that float inside your head and make your brain go fuzzy. _Reducto! _Have you at all felt unable to think straight lately?"

Blaise's gaze turned towards a bridge, where Ginny was in the bed of a truck and using another car as a battering ram.

"I've been unable to think straight for awhile now."

Luna sent a Blasting Curse up the street before following the Italian's gaze up to the youngest Weasley.

"She's not as judgmental as you think, Blaise," Luna noted as she turned her attention back to fighting. "You should try talking to her, instead of just insulting her."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Blaise replied, pulling Luna out of the way of a blast from a Chitauri by the arm. "Watch it, Lovegood!"

"Thank you." Luna looked up at him as she pushed straggly blond hair out of her face. "But if you really aren't interested, then why do you keep looking up at her with that worried look on your face?"

"I have no bloody idea what you are talking about," Blaise gritted between his teeth.

"That's an honest shame, though, because I know she's got a bit of a thing for you, too."

"_Confringo! _Does she, now?" He gave the small, blonde girl another confused glance.

"Oh, yes!" Luna replied with an excited smile.

"How can you tell?"

"_Reducto! _She talks about you excessively."

"That doesn't mean much."

"It means a lot if you're a Weasley. They don't tend to dwell on things they don't think are worth their time. Also, she does it when she isn't prompted to."

"So?"

Luna looked over at him.

"The Gryffindors all hate you, but it's not as if they go out of their way to insult the Slytherins all day and night. Ginny could complain about you for hours and hours on end."

Blaise's eyebrows raised.

"I thought you said she fancied me!"

"_Incendio! Expelliarmus!"_

Luna leveled him with a gaze.

"In her mind, if she spent all of her time talking about how good-looking you are, she would seem weak and traitorous. No matter what the Slytherins might think, Gryffindors aren't known for either of those things."

Then, Blaise suddenly understood why people were so in awe of the tiny blonde. She seemed awfully dotty, but she could see right through a person.

And he got it.

He finally got it.

"She's protecting herself."

"Yes."

* * *

"So, it turns out that Oliver Wood really fancies you," Collins told Lola as they combined their efforts to bring down a group of gliders from the ground. Steve and Natasha had moved towards the middle of the bridge, and were out of earshot sufficiently enough that Collins could confront the Girl-Who-Lived about Wood.

"I know. What's your point?"

"Do you like him?"

Lola's eyes drifted to the Keeper, who was busy using his superb flying skills to shake a glider. "I do."

"Ron's told me that he's asked you out before."

"He has. _Petrificus totalus!"_

"Why –"

Lola shot Collins a look. "He's a playboy, my dear Collins, a hardcore playboy. I don't need that kind of drama in my life."

"You don't trust him."

"Of course I trust him, we –"

"Lola, we're friends, yeah?"

Lola nodded.

"But I'm also friends with Wood."

"Yes. Collins, where is this –"

"_Confringo. _I am also friends with Wood, so this next thing is coming from a slightly-less-than objective view: the man is in love with you. Always has been, probably always will be –"

"He's a total _player-_"

Collins was unaffected by Lola's rebuttal. "_Stupefy! _Will you let me finish?"

"Yes, sorry," Lola muttered, sufficiently silenced for the moment.

"You like Wood." It wasn't a question, but Lola nodded.

"And we've pretty much established that Wood is head over heels in love with you, despite his Tony Stark-like behavior towards women."

"I assume so."

Collins became exasperated. "So what's the bloody problem, then?"

"I DON'T TRUST HIM!" Lola shouted desperately; loud enough to gain the attentions of several more Chitauri, as well as the raised eyebrows of Steve and Natasha.

"I didn't say to give your heart up to him," Collins observed as the next group of Chitauri ran at them. "I just said to give him a chance."

* * *

Hulk roared as he ran through the building and leapt out the window onto the Leviathan. With a grunt, he began swinging his massive fists at the Chitauri onboard, ripping them apart with minimal effort and throwing the pieces over.

Thor landed next to him, and Hulk wasn't happy about it.

_'That's just Thor, buddy.'_

"Hulk know who he is," Hulk grumbled quietly in response. "Hulk not like hammer."

_'You can hear me?' _The voice asked, surprised and slightly amused at Hulk's explanation of his dislike of Thor.

Hulk ripped off a huge piece of vertebrae from the creature's back, and stabbed it down. Thor slammed Mjolnir the rest of the way into the Leviathan, and it began to make a wobbly descent towards a building.

"Hulk always hear Bruce."

_'Why did you never respond?"_

"Hulk only protect Bruce. Bruce not like Hulk."

The voice was silent, and the Leviathan crashed through the building and into the floor.

Thor and Hulk stood next to each other, and for a moment, everything was silent.

Then, Hulk punched Thor off the monster.

_'Hulk!'_

Hulk just grinned.

* * *

Watson was totally immersed in the battle, taking out anything that ran at her using her "borrowed" baseball bat, when Thor landed next to her, looking a little battered.

"My lady, you are a most powerful being," he complimented as he watched her swing the bat hard enough to nearly turn a Chitauri's head backwards for a moment before joining in the mayhem himself.

"Thanks." She paused for a moment, then looked up at him. Her eyebrows furrowed. "What happened to your face?"

"Banner may have hit me."

Watson snorted, twirling the bat in her fingers. "You got hit by the Hulk? That's kind of funny."

He looked at her with a hurt expression. "You would find my injuries amusing, Lady Watson?"

She flushed bright red. "NO! I-I mean, no, I wouldn't –"

"I find myself insulted," the demigod said sadly.

"I didn't mean it like that, I promise," Watson amended quickly. Then, she noticed his grin. "You're screwing with me!" she cried, mouth gaping.

He swung Mjolnir into a car, causing it to roll over a group of Chitauri. "On the contrary, I am deeply hurt," Thor replied, offering a sly look.

Watson's eyes narrowed, and then she gave him a small, knowing smile. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

_What, indeed._

* * *

They'd been at it for hours, and the Chitauri showed no signs of letting up.

Natasha looked up at the sky, irritated.

"Guys, this isn't gonna mean a damn thing if we can't close that portal."

Steve stood beside her, staring at the portal.

"Our biggest guns can't touch it."

Lola came to stand on Natasha's other side. "'S'not always about the largest amount of force, Cap, you should know that." Steve nodded.

She looked at Natasha. "You wanna get up there, you'll need a ride."

Natasha grinned at her. "You offering?"

Lola pulled her trusty Firebolt from its holster on her hip. It grew to full size, gleaming in the afternoon sunlight, and both Steve and Natasha eyed it warily.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? It doesn't look all that sturdy."

Collins had perched herself on the hood of a cab, cradling her burnt arm (which had begun to grow quite sore in the past couple of hours) and she called out to him,

"Captain, that girl right there is one of the best bloody flyers I've seen in my entire life. If you need a ride, Potter's your girl."

"Yeah, Cap, it'll be fun," Natasha said hesitantly before turning to Lola. "How do you start it?"

Lola snorted. "This isn't a car. Just climb on." Lola mounted the Firebolt, and Natasha followed suit.

"Don't crash," Collins warned jokingly.

"This thing is capable of a hundred and fifty miles an hour," Lola noted. "I'd hold on if I were you."

Natasha's arms came to rest on the broom in front of Lola, and Lola kicked off.

* * *

Nick Fury really hated the Council. They were part-stupid, part-money-obsessed dimwits, and part-idiot, and Nick really didn't want anything to do with them.

The female Council member spoke first. "Director Fury, the council has made a decision."

Good God, how dumb could they get?

"I recognize the council has made a decision," Nick replied, folding his hands behind his back, "But given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it."

"Director, you're closer than any of our subs, you scramble that jet –"

How the hell could they not see it? "That is the island of Manhattan, Councilman. Until I'm certain my team can't hold it, I will not order a nuclear strike against a civilian population."

"If we don't hold them in the air, we lose everything."

"I send that bird out, we already have."

Nick turned on his heel and left the room.

* * *

It was Very easy for Natasha to see how at ease Lola was while she was on a broom. Her posture relaxed, and she had a slight smile on her face, despite the situation. In that moment, Lola looked so much like Clint, it would have been hard to tell the two apart.

Then, it got ruined.

A blast from a glider flew past them, and Natasha's head whipped around to find the source.

"Oh," she grumbled. "It's you."

"What the fuck was that?" Lola shouted from in front of her.

"You've got Loki in a glider on your back," Natasha replied, finding herself getting really pissed at the demigod who seemed to be an ever-present entity.

"Hold on!" Lola went for a sharp incline, and Natasha tightened her grip on the broom.

_"Nat, what are you two doing?"_

"Uhhh, a little help?"

* * *

Clint raised his bow. He really didn't like it when somebody threatened his wife and daughter.

"I got him."

He loosed the arrow.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

And then, just as the arrow would have split Loki's head in half, his hand shot up, and he caught it with what appeared to be minimal effort.

His eyes caught Clint's, and he smirked before allowing the arrow to detonate in his grip.

The glider exploded, and Loki was thrown, seemingly unharmed, into the penthouse of StarkTower.

Well, fuck.

* * *

Lola sighed in relief. That was getting a little frightening.

The roof neared.

"When I say go," she shouted back to Natasha, "I'm gonna roll the broom over, and you drop off, 'kay?"

"I can do that," Natasha replied with a smirk. She _was _the Black Widow, after all.

"I'm trying to get you as close as possible –"

"Don't worry about it," Natasha interrupted. "Just get yourself out of the air as soon as possible."

Lola was a little confused at the request, but didn't question it.

They were about ten feet above the roof, and it was time.

"GO!" Lola shouted, throwing her body weight as hard as she could to the right.

Natasha threw herself from the broom, flipped once in the air, and hit the ground rolling.

Lola righted herself on the broom, took a moment to get her bearings, and flew away.

Of course, though, she didn't get far before a blast from a glider caught her broom, and she jerked violently to the side.

A burning pain shot across her right thigh, and Lola noticed with a start that, not only had her broom been hit, but _she _had been hit, too.

The broom spun out, and Lola looked around wildly for a solution.

Then, she saw it.

Lola pushed her body weight to the left, ignoring the pain in her thigh, and prayed that this would work.

_One._

_Two._

_Three –_

Lola let out a scream as she jumped from the broom, fell about fifteen feet, and slammed down onto the back of a glide, occupied by two Chitauri who miraculously seemed not to notice her. With a grunt, Lola pulled her knife from her boot and landed hard on the roof next to Barton.

Her legs gave out; she collapsed to her knees, and rolled onto her back as he looked down at her with a worried expression.

"Good God, kid, are you alright?" He knelt next to her, checking over her.

"Motherfucking peachy," she groaned in response against her burning lungs. She'd definitely bruised a rib or two (probably fractured one as well) there was a set of drums going off inside her head, and there was suddenly a couple more Bartons floating in front of her eyes than there should have been. "That hurt."

"I'll bet." Clint's gaze (gazes?) moved down to the burn on her thigh, and he (they?) hissed. "That can't feel good."

"Definitely not. Why are there so many of you?"

Their eyes shot up to her face.

"There's more than one of me?"

"Yeah." Lola groaned, fighting down the urge to throw up. "I think my last meal might make a reappearance at some point, too."

"Shit," he muttered, leaning forward and holding up a hand. "How many fingers?"

"Eight."

"Four."

"Motherfucker."

"You sound like you've got a concussion, kid. I think you might be down for the count."

Lola's eyes squeezed themselves shut, and she made an attempt to raise herself up onto her elbows. "No, I can –oh, bloody buggering hell!" Scrapping that plan, Lola lowered herself gingerly back onto the ground. "Nope, you were definitely right about that!"

"Did I look like I was fucking kidding?" Clint's hands grasped at the back of her head, his face a mask of worried anger. "Careful, kid, Jesus Christ!"

* * *

"Do not think for a _second _that I did not see that, Clinton Francis Barton!"

_"Nat, focus. Fate of the world is kinda in your hands right now."_

Natasha's fist slammed into Dr. Selvig's head with a little more force than was probably necessary. He fell to the ground, and Natasha began pacing around the Tesseract, trying to find a way through the force surrounding the cube.

_"My kid gets hit by a blast, and you ask me to focus?" _she hissed angrily. "Did you, or did you not see her get hit by that blast?"

_"I did! Nat –shit, take it easy, kid. Lay the fuck back down!"_

"What? What is happening? Why are you cursing?"

_"Natasha Alianovna Romanoff-Barton, do you realize how hard it is to have two conversations at once? Give me a few minutes here; I'm dealing with a head injury."_

"HEAD INJURY?" Natasha roared. "Don't you dare hang up, Clint! You tell me what is going on right NOW!"

He didn't answer.

"Barton!"

No answer.

"BARTON!"

Still no answer.

"Damn it."

* * *

"You two are married?" Lola asked as Clint helped her into a laying position.

"Yeah," he replied. "Gets pretty interesting sometimes. Anything broken?"

"No, but that –" Lola pointed to the burn on her thigh, " –is definitely gonna leave a mark." She drew in a deep breath, wincing in the process. "I probably bruised some ribs during that fall, though."

"It wouldn't surprise me. Now will you sit still?"

Lola's eyes shut themselves against the early afternoon light that seemed to be pounding behind them. "Yeah, definitely. Won't be trying that again."

The sound of an explosion had Clint looking up.

"Might be a little early to be saying that," he said, eyes dark. "We gotta go."

He held out his hand, and Lola grasped it tightly, and screwed her eyes shut as he pulled her to her feet.

"Holy Mother of God," she gasped, pain shooting through her head, her abdomen screaming in protest.

"No time for that, kid," Clint shouted, as he began looking for a way out.

"Need a ride?" a pair of voices asked.

Lola's eyes opened reluctantly to find the twins on their brooms, dangling a few feet away from the edge of the roof.

George's arm shot out, and Lola took it wearily, whimpering in pain when he pulled her onto the back of his broom. Clint climbed on the back of Fred's broom, and they flew away just in time for a group of Chitauri gliders to fly by and shoot at the roof.

"You're not looking so good, there, Potter," George commented. "I'd say that I looked better when I lost my ear."

Lola's eyes were screwed as tightly shut as they could be, and her stomach was turning in violent knots. "Just…fly," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. "Ground…now."

He complied, taking the broom to the ground near Steve and Collins, where the fighting had mostly stopped. "Careful getting off, Potter. Wouldn't want you injuring your pretty face."

The swirling in her stomach suddenly became unbearable, and Lola turned her head to the side and promptly threw up. Her throat burned, she was extensively exhausted, everything within her ached, and one of the few things Lola hated more than anything was throwing up…so she threw up again and the world promptly went black.

* * *

**A/N: Let's say 30 (LEGITIMATE!) reviews, and next chapter will be the big reveal! I love you all!**

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!**


	11. Reflexes, More Revelations, and Death

**A/N: I've got a present for yooouuuu! Here it is, and since I've got over thirty reviews, IT'S THE BIG REVEAL! AAAHH, I'M SO EXCITED, AND I'M THE ONE WRITING THE STORY!**

**It's a little on the short side, but I was just so pumped to have gotten through this next part that I had to upload it, and I don't really know when I'll get to upload next.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Your continued support means so much to me, and I couldn't stop smiling the day I checked my email and had around twenty reviews sitting in my inbox! It totally made my day! All you guys are so great, and I just wanted to say how much I appreciate reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my continued attempts at acquiring HP and Avengers to add to my personal collection keep failing. I don't own them.**

**ON TO THE GOOD STUFF!**

* * *

Clint was suddenly _extremely _happy that he had great reflexes as he straightened up with Lola in his arms. Suddenly, he got the feeling that he was going to be in a _lot _of trouble, and he spoke into his earpiece with a tentative, "Nat? Nat, if you're there, I'm _really _sorry –"

And he wasn't sure if Natasha wasn't mad (unlikely), she was ignoring his words (more likely), or just had something more important to say and was actually infuriated at him (which was highly likely), but she spoke over him, saying, _"I can close it! I can close the portal! Does anybody copy?"_

Steve was standing next to Clint, staring worriedly down at his goddaughter, but commanded, "Do it!"

_"No, not yet!"_

"Stark, these things just keep on coming, we have to –"

_"I've got a nuke coming in and it's set to blow in less than a minute. I know just where to put it."_

Steve was suddenly looking like _he _was about to throw up himself, but he didn't, and said with a grimace, "You know that's a one-way trip, right?"

Tony was silent for a moment.

_"Tell my goddaughter that it was really nice getting to know her."_

There was a flash of red and gold guiding the nuke into the portal. Then, it was gone.

* * *

"Come on, kid," Clint urged. "Wake up, already."

It had been a week since the Chitauri attack, and the only movements Lola had made were during nightmares, and, needless to say, everyone was worried.

Even JARVIS, which really made no sense to anyone, but the AI was constantly keeping an eye on Lola when no one else was in the room with her. Although a little weird at times, Clint was grateful for the AI, especially when Oliver Wood came to visit, which was nearly everyday.

"Sir, your wife is at the door."

"Might as well let her in," Clint replied, reaching a hand out to brush hair out of Lola's eyes.

The door swung open slowly to reveal a perturbed-looking Natasha, who looked at Clint with an observatory look, but remained at the door.

"Barton, you gotta get out of here for awhile. Go take a nap or something, you look absolutely exhausted."

He would have bet that he really didn't look that tired. His entire paycheck was pretty much based off of the ability to go a long time without sleep, then turn around and have aim that would seem like he hadn't gone forty-eight hours without sleep.

But, then again, he'd known Natasha, or, rather, Natasha had known him, for twenty years. She could probably see through him faster than she could see through glass.

"I'm fine."

"_Clint."_

Clint didn't react.

"Would you look at me?"

Clint still didn't react.

Soft footsteps against the hardwood floor. Then, Natasha was sitting down next to him, grasping onto the hand that wasn't running through his daughter's hair, using her free hand to gently turn his head to face her.

And, for the first time in seventeen years, Clint thought he might cry.

The really great thing about Natasha was that she knew when spoken words weren't necessary. She knew the difference between times when she needed to say something, and the times when all she needed to do was sit there and wait.

Her hand curled around the back of his head, gently fingering the hair at the base of his neck. He knew how intimate this moment was. He knew that she could easily snap his neck right now, and he had to admit that it turned him on quite a bit to be married to such a dangerous woman. Clint turned his head to the side so that her hand rested on his face, and planted a kiss on her hand.

Natasha still hadn't said anything, just crossed her legs Indian-style and sat on the plush sofa, waiting for him to speak.

He looked back to the sleeping girl.

"That's our kid, Tasha. _Our_ kid. Maybe if I'd been paying attention, if I'd reacted faster –"

"Stop it. Don't you dare go there, Clint."

Clint's face turned towards her, obviously upset. "How can I _not?"_

"You need to realize, Clint, that this was no one's fault."

"Who do you blame, then?"

It was remarkable to Natasha how quickly his years of training had gone out the window. These were lessons drilled into your head from day one, and you could drive yourself crazy thinking about all the "what ifs".

"That damn glider for aiming at her. Loki for sending the Chitauri in the first place. SHIELD for fishing that stupid cube out of the ocean. Me, for agreeing to that ride in the first place. Us, for even having a kid to begin –"

Clint's eyes turned angry. "That's really fucked up, Tash."

_Finally. _They were getting somewhere. "Do you see my point, then? It's the cardinal rule of injuries obtained in action, Clint! They're almost never any one person's fault. It's a series of decisions, and we could spend hours upon hours going back in time, trying to see where we had gone wrong. And do you know where we'd end up?" Natasha didn't wait for Clint to answer. "We'd drive ourselves insane, because there are too many variables to factor into it, Clint."

Clint didn't respond, but turned back to the girl sleeping in the bed.

* * *

"Mistress."

Lola's eyes fluttered open. She was in the purple room again, but this time she was dressed in a long, black, Grecian-style, one-shouldered dress. To her immense surprise, she wasn't wearing a bra, and when she bounced on the balls of her feet a little, she was pleased to find that the top of the dress had more support than an actual bra.

_Victoria's Secret? They've got nothing on this dress._

Death watched Lola examine the dress, a small grin playing across her pale features.

After a few minutes, Lola looked up at Death with an embarrassed look on her face. "Sorry," she muttered a little sheepishly.

"Not a problem, Mistress," replied Death.

"I really like the dress." Lola's cheeks flushed a bit.

"As I have said before, Mistress, it is not a problem. I am glad you like it."

Silence.

"Is there a reason why I'm back here?" Lola grew uneasy. "Did I die again?"

"No–"

"'Cause I really hate it when that happens. Am I dead, like, forever this time? Is the coming back from the brink of death a one-time thing? Because that would really suck. I was really hoping to make Puddlemere United –actually, maybe the Harpies or the Magpies; now that I might or might not be dating Oliver, I think it would be really weird if we were to be on the same team, and it would really suck if I were to die before we even got to go out on a date –"

Lola broke off abruptly, gasping for breath, and Death took the opportunity to explain the situation. "Mistress, let me make this very clear. I simply wished to speak with you, and now was an opportune time to do so."

Lola's face relaxed. "Oh, okay," she replied, satisfied with the answer. "What did you want to talk about?"

Death led Lola to the table, and sat herself before gesturing for the young witch to sit. Lola took the proffered seat, and waited for Death to begin speaking.

For the first time, Lola saw a flickering of fear on Death's face.

Death inhaled sharply and spoke, "There is a god…"

Lola's eyebrows drew together. "There are lots of gods."

"One in particular. Thanos."

"Thanos?" Lola repeated. "I haven't heard of him."

"He is not so much a god as an alien. A warlord who presides over a dead dimension. He is the one who gave Loki the power over the Chitauri in exchange for the Tesseract."

"But…didn't we defeat the Chitauri?" Lola asked. She really wasn't sure, just because she'd passed out before the battle was over.

Death shook her head. "There is a saying you humans have. 'The battle is won, but the war has just begun.'"

"So, Thanos will attempt to strike back," Lola gathered, leaning forward into the table.

"Yes, and with a vengeance," replied Death, looking worried now. "Twice, now, he has been defeated, and he will seek retribution against the ones who have defeated him, you in particular. If he cannot sway you to his side, he will seek to destroy you."

Lola held her hands up. "Excuse me, but did you say 'twice'? What does that mean? And why is he seeking revenge against me?"

Death's face turned to the side. "Thanos…he seeks to court me. To control me is more like it, and you are my master. He sees your mastery over me as a threat, and he wishes to gain my full attentions."

Lola nodded. "So that explains why he's focused on me, but you also said that we've defeated him twice. What does that mean?"

"Did you truly believe that your wizarding war wasn't a part of something larger?" asked Death. "The Deathly Hallows…mastery over Death…"

"And Voldemort?"

"A pawn in the grand scheme of things. I do not believe that Thanos would have been able to use the Hallows, but Voldemort could, and Thanos could control Voldemort."

A brief silence.

"And Voldemort's whole schtick about blood purity? Did that have anything to do with Thanos?"

"They had an agreement. In exchange for his services, Thanos would have given Voldemort control of the wizarding world. I think that the idea of a 'pure world' is merely how Voldemort wanted his world to be run; I do not believe that Thanos had any dealings in that part of the war."

"So Thanos uses Voldemort to gain him control of the world. But why didn't Thanos grant Voldemort the use of the Chitauri during the Battle of Hogwarts?"

"Think about it," said Death. "Who was their opponent? Their main adversary, the one who was so central during the war?"

"Me," Lola replied instantly.

"Would Voldemort and Thanos, two very strong, very _powerful _beings, have expected you, a young witch with less than half the power the two of them could have conjured up together, to have defeated them?"

"No."

"No. It wasn't worth the time or effort it would have taken Thanos to have sent the Chitauri to Earth. They were not in possession of the Tesseract, either, so it would have been very difficult to have transported the Chitauri to Earth. Voldemort assured Thanos that his Death Eaters could stop you."

"But they didn't."

"No."

They were silent for a moment.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Lola, staring down at the table.

"Be ready," Death replied simply.

The fog began to descend over Lola's eyesight, and just before everything went white, she heard Death's ethereal voice say, "It is time to wake up, Mistress. Your parents need you."

* * *

Clint had stood, and was pacing the width of the room in irritation.

"I think I'm going crazy here, Nat!" he said angrily. "This is our daughter, lying here unconscious, less than a week after we met her. What if she disappears again?"

A hoarse voice coming from the bed had Clint and Natasha's eyes bugging out of their heads.

"That's probably a non-issue," offered Lola weakly, her adjusting eyes going between the two assassins with interest. "I've got no plans to go anywhere anytime soon. I'm not feeling so great right now."

* * *

**A/N: So...yeah. Here's your big reveal. To be honest, I probably would've given it to you guys, even if there hadn't been thirty reviews, JUST CAUSE I GET MORE CLIFFIES! HA-HAHAHA! **

**Be warned: Next chapter, there will be some Pepper to throw into this melting pot of craziness! AAH, I'M SO EXCITED! **

**Make sure you review! Make it...another twenty, and I'll introduce Oliver or Teddy in the next chapter. Review with your pick!**

**Thirty reviews, and I'll introduce them both, throw in a little (or a lot) bit of fluff for some of our favorite pairs (I'm talking Thor/Watson, Lola/Oliver, Blaise/Ginny, Steve/Collins, and many more! Maybe I'll schedule a date for some pairs. Who knows?), and I WON'T MAKE IT A CLIFFHANGER CHAPTER! **


	12. Nightmares, Boys and Stories

**A/N: OK, first let me start by saying that I AM SO SORRY for making you guys think that I killed Tony Stark. He's perfectly healthy and alive, save for the shrapnel that is constantly trying to make its way into his heart, but he is ALIVE! That's my bad, and, like Akon said; sorry, blame it on me.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP or Avengers. All I own are a bunch of notebooks with way too many plot ideas in them, and not nearly enough actual schoolwork. That, and a computer, and a gorgeous AP US History binder with a Captain America-themed cover that my friend made for me, and an Avengers-themed APUSH notebook. That's it.**

* * *

_Clint had stood, and was pacing the width of the room in irritation. _

_ "I think I'm going crazy here, Nat!" he said angrily. "This is our daughter, lying here unconscious, less than a week after we met her. What if she disappears again?"_

_ A hoarse voice coming from the bed had Clint and Natasha's eyes bugging out of their heads._

_ "That's probably a non-issue," offered Lola weakly, her eyes tiredly going between the two assassins with interest. "I've got no plans to go anywhere anytime soon. I'm not feeling so great right now."_

Natasha was on the edge of the bed, hovering over the girl in a second.

"How do you feel?"

Lola's eyes fluttered open and closed, and it was a long moment before she answered.

"Like I fell off a broom, had my leg burned in an oven, passed out then woke up to find out that my parents are master assassins," she replied quietly.

Clint snorted. "That's not really a feeling."

Lola shot him a glare. "Feelings, as in plural, and they could be if they had names."

"Shock, perhaps?"

"More or less." Lola blinked again, slowly. She eyed Natasha and Clint clinically. "You guys seem to be taking this well."

"We've had a few days to mull it over," Natasha replied. "You're the one who's taking this surprisingly well."

"After the things that I've experienced, you kinda have to learn to go with the flow," Lola replied. Her mouth stretched open in a yawn before she added, "This is pretty low on the excitement scale in comparison to fighting dragons and madmen and –"

"Hold on," Clint interrupted, suddenly looking astonished. "Did you just say 'dragons'?"

Lola's eyes closed, and her mouth spread into a contented smile. "I'll bet that's a life experience you haven't had before, eh?"

Clint and Natasha shared a look.

Then they looked at Lola, whose eyes were still closed.

They looked at each other.

Then back at Lola.

She was asleep.

* * *

_Lola found herself in a long, dark hallway. She was running, running from _her.

_The dreams always started out like this._

_ "Come out, come out, little Mudblood!" The voice, Bellatrix Lestrange's voice, reverberated off the walls, filling Lola's ears and heart with a fear that she only ever knew in dreams, when everyone knew what to do to make you wish you'd never gone to sleep._

_ Lola's arms pumped faster, her bare feet slapping against the cold tile, sweat pouring down her face._

_ There was a door at the end of the hallway, with light spilling through between the door and its frame._

_ If she could just reach it._

_ Closer…closer…_

_ Then, she tripped, and the hallway disappeared._

_ Now, she was on the floor of the drawing room in Malfoy Manor, and Bellatrix Lestrange stood above her with a knife in one hand, her wand in the other, and a crazed look in her eye._

_ "Where did you get the sword, Mudblood?" Bellatrix hissed, a low and dangerous noise._

_ Lola's eyes shut themselves, and she was muttering frantically._

_ "It's not real, it's not real, it's not real, it's just a dream, it's not –"_

_ "You stupid Mudblood bitch!" Bellatrix shouted. "You really think this isn't real?"_

_ She pointed then, and Lola looked over to her right, and let out a scream._

_ "TEDDY, NO!" _

_ The little boys' eyes were wide, and unseeing, and Lola was unable to tear her gaze away, unable to stop the tears from pouring down her face._

_ "I'll ask again. How did you break into my vault?" Bellatrix's hair was in her line of vision, and the only thing Lola wanted to do was reach up and use Bellatrix's own knife to slit her throat._

_ "We found it, we didn't break into your vault, I swear," Lola sobbed, staring over at her godson._

_ Then, a searing pain in her left arm, and Lola knew what it was, knew that it was Bellatrix carving into her forearm, but she couldn't look away, couldn't tear her eyes off of Teddy._

_ "CRUCIO!"_

_ She let out a scream as the knife dug further into her flesh -"_

* * *

"Lola, love, wake up! It's just a dream!"

Lola's eyes snapped open with a start, and, at hearing the familiar Scottish brogue, she threw herself at Oliver and began to cry.

And then, there were arms wrapping around her, and she remembered easily why Oliver had been the Captain of the Quidditch team all those years ago. He usually knew how to fix a situation, usually knew how to make things better even if they didn't necessarily pertain to Quidditch.

"She killed h-hi-him," Lola sobbed. "S-he-s-h-she killed Ted-Teddy –"

"I know, love. I know."

"And…and-she wanted to n-n-know wh-h-h-where we got the sword from, and I-I-I kept t-t-telling her that w-w-w-we found it, but she didn't bel-l-l-ieve me! S-sh-she kept asking me q-q-questions that I didn't know-w-w th-the answers to –" And Lola broke off, crying even harder into Oliver's shoulder as she realized that suddenly her dreams and what had happened in reality had suddenly blended to become something worse than a nightmare.

"You don't have to be brave all the time, you know."

Lola's voice was weak, smaller than she'd ever heard herself sound before, and she really hated herself at the moment. "Yeah, I do."

Oliver's chin was suddenly resting in her hair, and Lola found that she quite liked the security of the position that she was in. It was safe, it was warm. "No, you don't."

"Why not?"

"I think the better question is why do you have to be strong every moment of every day. Sounds exhausting, love."

"I'm the Chosen One, Oliver. People don't want their war heroines to be weak. They _want _the tough girl act, they want the Joan of Arc-type –"

Lola's head was being lifted off Oliver's shoulder, and her blue eyes met Oliver's calculating brown ones.

"I don't want whatever muggle reference you've come up with now," he said quietly, his eyes searching hers. "I want _you._"

Lola shook her head. "You don't want me."

"Why not?"

"I think the better question is," Lola mimicked Oliver's words, "Why would you want me?"

"Well, for one, you're a wicked Seeker."

Lola offered him a small grin. "That's a bad reason. If that were all there were to you being attracted to me, I feel bad for Viktor Krum and every other 'wicked Seeker' in the world."

"Your sharp wit and biting tongue?"

"That's more like it."

Oliver tilted his head back and laughed.

If Lola were being completely honest with herself, she would have sworn that her stomach did a little flip-flop.

But, there was no way in hell that Charlotte Nikola Potter's stomach did flip-flops.

Please. She _was _the Savior, after all.

"So, for argument's sake, let's say that –"

"Hold on, now!" Oliver looked affronted. "I wasn't done yet."

Before he could continue, the door slammed open and several people rushed in. Upon seeing Lola, Hermione and Ron dodged around Oliver and hugged Lola with a force that made her wince a little.

"Guys," Lola croaked, "'S really good to see you and all, but go easy on me. I'm a little injured."

"A little?" Ron inquired as he patted her on the shoulder.

"It's a little in proportion to losing all the bones in your arm. By the way, you're still holding me really tight, and it kind of hurts."

They backed off with sheepish grins, and Lola raised her eyebrows.

"Any reason for that interruption there? I was in the middle of a conversation."

"JARVIS said that you were screaming in your sleep," Steve explained, giving Oliver a suspicious glance. "We wanted to make sure you were okay."

"What's the pretty boy doing in your bed?" Tony asked rather loudly.

"I'd love to know the answer to that," Clint added menacingly.

Oliver swallowed audibly, and Lola shot him a concerned look as he moved a respectable distance away from Lola to the edge of the bed.

"I think now might be a good time for me to leave, love," Oliver said quietly.

"I second that motion!" Tony put a hand in the air.

Lola shot him a look Molly Weasley would have been proud of, then turned her attention back to the Scottish Keeper, who was close to withering under the stares of the male members of the room.

"We'll talk later, yeah?"

"Count on it." Oliver smiled, nodded to the other occupants of the room, and Disapparated.

There was silence in the room, and Lola felt several stares on her.

"I was having a nightmare, and Oliver woke me up," Lola explained nonchalantly.

"Doesn't excuse anything," Ron muttered in a very Ron-fashion.

And then, Lola's self-control broke.

"Oh, shove it!" she shouted. "I am a full-grown witch in the eyes of the law–"

"Not here," Tony interrupted.

"He's still an idiot," Clint added under his breath.

"–So you say! I happen to think he's a great guy. As I was saying, I am an adult, I can make my own decisions –"

"Perhaps –" Thor, who had been surprisingly quiet for the duration of time he'd spent in the room, attempted to intercede, but Lola cut him off.

" –I fought a bloody war, was tortured in the process, and I fucking _died_! I was _held down _while a psychotic bitch used my arm as wood-carving practice!" Lola pulled up her sleeve furiously, displaying the angry red scars that spelled out 'Mudblood', and watched as the room flinched collectively. "After that, am I not entitled to decide what guys I do and don't spend time with? Do I have to get permission every single time I go to sleep to have someone come wake me up in case I have another nightmare? Do I?"

Her chest was heaving slightly, her cheeks flushed in anger, she had risen up onto her knees against the throbbing in her thigh, and she looked around the room, challenging each of them to say that she didn't have the rights she had declared for herself.

Silence.

Dead silence.

Then, Natasha, in a tormented voice, whispered, "Tortured?"

* * *

It hadn't been pretty. By the time Lola was done describing the Second Wizarding War in as little detail as possible, only delving deeper at the request for more information, the normally stoic Natasha had looked ready to cry, Tony and Clint had stood to pace the room in concentric circles, Steve was repeatedly cracking his knuckles and blowing out long breaths, and Bruce was starting to look a little green.

Thor, on more than one occasion, had stood and nearly called for Mjolnir to "crack open the skulls of those who had dared lay a hand on the young Lady Barton," only stopping when Lola would hold out a hand and tell him that she wasn't done. In turn, Thor would give her a doubtful look and return to his spot leaning against the wall.

And when Lola reached the point where she, Hermione and Ron had been captured and taken to Malfoy Manor, Clint had stopped pacing to watch Lola as she explained what had happened there.

"She nearly turned us over to the werewolf, Greyback, well, Hermione more so than me. 'The Potter girl needs to be alive when the Dark Lord comes,' Bellatrix said, over and over again. I told her, I kept pleading for them to take me instead, and she just looked at me with this crazed look in her eyes…"

* * *

_"Please, it's me you want," Lola pleaded as Greyback approached a bloodied Hermione. "Take me instead…please…"_

_ Bellatrix faced Lola, a wild and menacing look in her eyes._

_ "Take that one down to the dungeon," she hissed, pointing at Hermione, whose eyes widened. "Put her with her blood-traitor boyfriend."_

_ "Lola, no," Hermione whimpered as the Snatchers dragged her roughly down the stairs._

_ Lola heard the sound of a cell door creaking open, but it echoed unimportantly in her ears as Bellatrix bent down and pulled Lola forward by her hair and the front of her shirt._

_ "It's time to have us a little chat, Mudblood," Bellatrix laughed, a cold, heartless laugh that told of things to come._

* * *

"And then, she kept asking me where we'd gotten the sword, and I kept telling her that we'd found it. She thought that we'd gone into her vault at Gringotts and stolen it."

* * *

_"DON'T PLAY COY WITH ME, POTTER! I KNOW YOU BROKE INTO MY VAULT, MUDBLOOD! HOW DID YOU GET IN THERE?"_

_ Lola's eyes were blackened, and tears were running down her face._

_ "Please, we didn't steal it, we didn't break into your vault, please…" she sobbed._

_ "DON'T LIE TO ME, BITCH! CRUCIO!"_

"She got bored of the Cruciatus Curse after awhile…so… then she got creative."

_"You will always and forever be a Mudblood. I'm sure the Dark Lord won't mind if I make sure that you can't ever hide who you are from the world."_

* * *

"And she took her knife." Lola's voice wobbled. "And she –"

She jumped instinctively at the sound of Clint turning and slamming his fist into the wall, fury radiating off of him in tidal waves.

Lola was silent for awhile, until Natasha's hand on her shoulder forced her to look over at the woman.

The wide blue eyes met the equally wide green ones. They were both filled with unshed tears, but Lola found herself compelled to continue.

She swallowed; it was so close, yet so far, from being over.

* * *

_"There," Bellatrix laughed, standing over Lola's shaking body. _

_ Lola's eyes were open, her body sprawled on the floor, quivering in pain and from the silent sobs that wracked her body._

_ Her eyes held the icy blue ones of Draco Malfoy, and he had grown more pale in the past few minutes than she'd ever seen him in the past seven years. He looked like he was going to puke, staring at the blood that was dripping out of Lola's arm._

_ "Call him," Bellatrix commanded over her shoulder at the elder Malfoy._

_ Lola's eyes moved to Lucius Malfoy._

_ Slowly, almost reluctantly, Lucius pulled up his sleeve, revealing the skull and snake that signified the Dark Mark on his arm._

* * *

"You saved us all that day," Lola said quietly to Ron and Hermione, staring down at the hands twisted in her lap. "If you hadn't broken out then, I don't think I could've lasted any longer."

"You lasted a hell of a lot longer than either of us would have," Ron replied.

Hermione climbed into the bed next to Lola and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

* * *

By the time she'd finished with the story, tears were running steadily down her face, and Lola was surprised at the strength her voice still had.

But the strength of her voice was not correlated to the amount of energy she had left, and her eyes closed against her will as she fell asleep on Hermione's shoulder.

* * *

"I need a drink," Tony announced as they left Lola's room. Without another word, he marched decisively to the waiting elevator and got in. The doors closed with a ding, but everyone could hear the slam of a fist against the door.

"I'll be in the gym," Steve muttered, and took off in the direction of the stairs.

"I've umm… got some work to finish up." Bruce stepped into another elevator.

Hermione and Ron followed Natasha, Clint and Thor to the living room. In true Weasley fashion, Ron settled himself on the floor against a wall. Hermione curled up on the small leather couch nearest him, Clint and Natasha took the long couch opposite Ron and Thor sat on the recliner to Ron's right.

They went unspeaking for some time, until Hermione glanced around the room, and said, "You must have questions."

"Why her?" Natasha whispered, lacing her fingers through Clint's.

"Some chalked it up to luck," Hermione explained, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"Really bad luck." Ron's head tilted back against the wall. "There was a prophecy written, as well, though."

"A prophecy foresaw my daughter getting tortured on the floor of a mansion?" Clint's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Not exactly. The prophecy only told of a child born in July or August, who would be given to a couple who had defied Voldemort three times. Said child would have powers that neither Voldemort nor higher beings knew of, and would have the power to defeat Voldemort, but no one knew for sure that she would be the Savior."

"So…she's famous, then?"

Ron let out a snort. "Bloody legend is more like it."

For further explanation, Hermione added, "She's like the Tony Stark of the wizarding world. Only with less drinking, and, you know –" she gestured to her upper chest " –a lack of an electromagnet keeping her alive."

* * *

There was a crack of Apparation, and Watson appeared holding a sleeping Teddy.

"Welcome, Miss Holmes," JARVIS said.

"Oh, hello!" she replied in a quiet, yet enthusiastic tone.

"Lady Watson," Thor said loudly, standing from his seat in the recliner. "It is such a pleasure to –"

"SHH!" she hissed suddenly. "Do you have any idea how long it's taken me to get him to sleep?" She gestured with her free hand to the sleeping child, whose hair had unconsciously taken on a reddish hue.

"My apologies," the demigod replied in a much quieter tone as he took Teddy's bag off Watson's free shoulder and set it on the floor. "Is he your child?"

"Hardly." Watson took a seat on the closest couch, shifting Teddy higher on her chest as she did so. "I've got the weekend off, and literally every single other available person decided that they had unbreakable plans for the day, so I got stuck on babysitting duty. This one here did _not _want to take a nap, so I promised him that if he went to sleep willingly he could see Lola when he woke up –"

"This is the young Lady Barton's child?"

Before Watson could stop the big man, he'd stood and marched determinedly from the living room into the kitchen.

Watson sat, stunned for a moment, staring openmouthed after Thor.

"Perhaps you should go explain the situation Miss Holmes," JARVIS suggested.

_Men._

Watson stood carefully, making sure not to disturb Teddy, and hurried into the kitchen. Along the way, she ran into Hermione and Ron.

"You'll want to get in there to straighten things out," Hermione whispered, tilting her head towards the kitchen, where voices were beginning to rise.

Watson nodded. "Take him," she commanded quietly, handing Teddy over to Hermione. "His things are in the living room. Make _sure _he doesn't get woken up, it took me _hours _to get him to go to sleep."

Dutifully, Hermione took the boy, and she and Ron moved back into the living room; Watson continued into the kitchen, where Clint was pacing the room and crying, "What do you mean Lola has a kid? I can't _be _a fucking grandpa; I'm not even forty yet! What the hell?"

"Sit _down, _Clint," Natasha replied from her chair behind the granite-topped island. She, at least, wasn't freaking out, but the grip on her coffee mug was a little harder than usual, and she was looking a little pale. "There is a perfectly good explanation for this. Maybe Thor just misheard –"

"I did not mishear, Lady Romanoff," Thor said indignantly. "Lady Watson told me that –"

"Nothing," Watson cut in as she walked into the middle of the kitchen. "I never said that Lola has a biological kid. Teddy's her godson, and that is _it. _To my extensive knowledge, Lola does not have any offspring."

"No kid?" Clint stopped pacing to send Watson a dubious look with raised eyebrows.

"Nope."

The room relaxed, and Thor shot Watson an apologetic look.

"My most sincere apologies, Lady Watson, I did not mean to overreact in such a manner."

Watson shrugged. "It's okay, I get it. You just got your daughter-slash-goddaughter back. You've got a total right to be over reactive."

This earned her several grateful looks, and Watson realized that none of them felt like they had a right to worry until she'd been the one to inform them that they did.

No matter how much Lola accepted her newfound family into her life, the fact would always remain that she'd pretty much grown up on her own, and she was a full-grown adult by the time she'd met her actual parents.

* * *

Pepper would never actually admit this to anyone, but she was really happy when Coulson had come to the Tower to request that Tony rejoin the Avenger Initiative. He wasn't someone who did well when he didn't have something to do, and the search for the Tesseract should have had his hands full for at least a few days, while she was in DC, considering his proposal.

Well, DC and Tony's proposal were two different things.

Two very, very different things.

She _knew _he was okay, she _knew _he was alive, but she really had to see for herself.

"Welcome back, Miss Potts."

"Hi, JARVIS. Straight to whatever floor Tony's on, please."

The doors slid shut, but it was a moment before JARVIS spoke again.

"I don't know if you'll want to do that," the AI warned. "He's not in a good mood. He told me not to let anyone up unless it was a life or death situation."

Uh-oh. "Override that order, please. What's he drinking?" Pepper asked cautiously, as the elevator began to move.

"Whiskey, I believe."

"Shots or straight from the bottle?"

"The latter."

_Could this elevator go any slower?_

Finally, the doors slid open, and Pepper was walking into the penthouse Tony had installed as a backup. When he'd first had it created, she'd thought he was being a little ridiculous, but now she was quite grateful.

She'd seen the damage from the outside.

"Tony?" Pepper slid her painfully high, navy blue, peep-toe Louboutin's off and carried them, dangling them by the straps from her fingers. "Are you here?"

No answer.

Instinctively, Pepper walked into the living room, and she was not at all surprised to find Tony on the couch with an open bottle of Jack Daniel's next to him. Her heart gave a jump at seeing him in one piece, but she was anxious to find out what had caused _this._

"I told JARVIS not to let anyone up here," he muttered, lifting the bottle to his lips and drinking out of it.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not just anybody." Pepper set the shoes and the bag on the floor before folding herself onto the cold leather.

"You didn't call to tell me you were coming home."

_Home. _The word surprised Pepper, but she knew the word was right.

"I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Hmm." Tony took another swig from the bottle, and she had the sudden urge to slap it out of his hands.

"What brought this on?" she asked, resting her elbow against the back of the couch and leaning her chin against her hand.

"Why does anything have to bring _this _on?"

"Tony," Pepper said, reaching forward to unwrap his fingers from around the bottle. He let her, but she knew he could have easily held on, and there would have been no way she could have gotten the whiskey away from him. She set the bottle on the coffee table. "Look at me."

He refused, but Pepper was persistent. She climbed off the couch, and bent down next to his knees so that she was right in his line of vision.

"What happened?"

Tony still wasn't answering.

"Tony, after years of working for you, I've figured out that I can't fix the problem unless you tell me what the problem is."

He tilted his head back and let out a harsh laugh. "Pepper, even with all of your brilliance and business smarts, you couldn't fix this for me."

"Okay, then, so it can't be fixed. Talking about it could help, though."

Something that sounded vaguely like a choked sob emitted itself from Tony's throat, and it was a horrible, horrible sound that Pepper hadn't heard in seventeen years.

* * *

**A/N: FYI; for all you Ron/Hermione shippers out there, you should know that this will not be one of those stories. That whole pairing really doesn't work for me, so please don't get really angry when I introduce some strapping young man who sweeps Hermione off her feet.**

**REVIEW! Come on now, show me some love!**


	13. PopTarts, Dates and Potty Time

**A/N: I don't have anything to say, for once.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP or Avengers.**

* * *

"So," Watson said. "Now that we're all on the same page about there being no Potter child, do you want to –"

There was a great commotion that had Clint and Natasha eyeing the door, waiting for a fight. They quickly relaxed when Teddy waddled into the room as fast as his eighteen-month old legs could carry him, screaming in delight as Hermione and Ron "chased" after him.

"_Wat-ton_!" he shouted as he threw himself at Watson's legs, his hair changing to a near bleach-blonde color to match hers. The blonde bent down and picked him up, balancing the boy on her hip.

"How long did he sleep for?"

"Thirty seconds," Ron replied, leaning against the doorframe.

Teddy screamed, and Watson turned her attention to him with a shocked-sounding, "Hey, what are those guys doing to you?"

"Chase!" Teddy replied emphatically, pointing a chubby finger at the two laughing teenagers in the doorway.

Watson sent a mock-angry look in that direction. "_I'll _protect you," she declared firmly. Then, her attention turned to the three Avengers at the island. "Teddy, I've got some friends I want you to meet. Can you say 'hi'?"

Upon looking over at the island and seeing Thor, Teddy's hair took on a grey color, and he shouted, "GIANT!"

The room erupted into laughter, Teddy joining in even though he had no idea what was so funny, and Thor looked around confusedly.

"I see no giant," he remarked, causing the room to dissolve even further into giggles. Even Natasha let out a grin, and Clint snorted a few times.

"That's not a giant, Teddy," Watson told him after she'd finished wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "That's my friend, Thor."

Thor's chest puffed out a bit at the acknowledgement.

"Not giant?" Teddy asked, looking up at Watson with curious eyes.

"Nope. That's Thor." She grinned and set him on the ground. "Can you go say 'hi'?"

Teddy hesitated a moment, the rapidly changing hair colors demonstrating his indecision (and causing the three Avengers to give him strange looks) before he looked up at Watson with a question in his eyes.

"Go on," she encouraged.

Slowly, Teddy toddled forward to the demigod, who had turned the chair to face the approaching child.

Teddy stopped about a foot away from the chair, and man and child stared at each other, Thor trying to seem unintimidating, and Teddy trying to decide whether or not he liked the demigod.

After a moment, in total Tonks-fashion, Teddy decided he liked Thor, and his hair turned a dirty-blond shade and grew until it reached his shoulders. He offered Thor a wide smile, which the demigod returned with a loud, "Hello, there!"

Teddy squealed, and ran back to Watson, who caught him by the arms and swung him into the air before setting him back on the ground. Thor looked confused once more, until Watson shot him a wink over Teddy's head and mouthed, _'Don't worry, he likes you.'_

The demigod's face took on a relieved countenance, and Watson internally smirked.

_Who would've thought that a _god _would be such a sucker for kids?_

It was kind of hot, though.

Teddy pointed to Thor, and proclaimed him "_T'or!_"

"Yep," Watson agreed. She pointed to Clint and Natasha, who were watching the interaction with interest. "Do you know who they are?"

Teddy's head whipped rapidly between the assassins and Watson. "Who?" he demanded. "Who dat?"

Before Watson could answer, Natasha had climbed out of her chair and sat down on the ground in front of Teddy, folding her legs underneath her.

She pushed her hair behind her ear. "Hi," she greeted pleasantly, if not a little cautiously.

Teddy's hair turned bright red to match Natasha's, but he hid himself behind Watson's legs.

"My name is Natasha."

Teddy's head peeked out from behind Watson. What followed was a string of jumbled jarble, that everyone presumed to be an attempt at pronouncing 'Natasha'.

Natasha let out a small smile of amusement. "How about you call me 'Nat'?" she tried.

The toddler moved out from behind Watson and sat down in front of Natasha.

"Nat," Teddy said slowly, as if testing out the name. He must have accepted the name, because after a small pause, he let out a giggle, and said, "Pretty."

"You're pretty cute yourself," replied Natasha as Clint sat down next to her, and grinned at Teddy.

Teddy's eyes widened at the sight of Clint. He looked at Natasha. "Who dat?" he asked again.

"I'm Clint," the archer told him, holding out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Once again, Teddy took a moment to judge Clint before wrapping a pudgy little hand around three of Clint's fingers and shaking them back and forth. "_C'int," _he greeted.

Behind their backs, Clint and Natasha's free hands twined together.

"Hey Teddy, did you know," Watson asked conversationally as she sat down on the cold tile floor, "That these lovely people are Auntie Char's parents?"

"'T-Char? I see 'T-Char?" Teddy inquired, his interest piqued.

"Is she awake?" Hermione asked.

"JARVIS? If Lola's awake, will you ask if she's ready for visitors?"

The AI replied almost immediately, "She is, and she says she is ready when you are."

"I see 'T-Char?"

"Yes," Watson answered. Then, she got an idea. "Hey, Teddy?"

Teddy looked up at her.

"Nat and Clint here are going to take you to go see Auntie Char, okay?"

Teddy nodded wordlessly, and Natasha and Clint looked as if they'd just choked on their own spit.

As an afterthought, Watson added, "Is that okay with you guys?"

"Yep," Clint replied, recovering quickly and popping the 'p'. He stood, pulling Natasha with him. "Come on, little man."

Teddy held his arms up, and Clint bent down and grabbed him under the arms. Teddy began to babble away happily as they walked out of the kitchen, Clint and Natasha looking like they were hanging off of every unintelligible word.

Hermione and Ron had somehow snuck away during the conversation, so that left Thor and Watson in the kitchen.

Alone.

It didn't make it any less awkward when her stomach rumbled.

"Do you require sustenance, Lady Jen –Watson? I happen to have a supply of Pop-Tarts I would be willing to share."

Watson didn't miss the fact that he almost used her first name…and she didn't mind it so much when he said it. Actually, when he said it, it made her feel tingly in all the right places –did he just say Pop-Tarts?

"Did you just say Pop-Tarts?"

"I did," Thor replied with a grin, "Would you like some?"

She nodded. "Pop-Tarts happen to be the main portion of many of my meals," she replied as the demigod stood and crouched in front locked cabinet in the corner of the kitchen.

With raised eyebrows, she watched in amusement as Thor pulled a key from the pocket of his jeans and pushed it into the lock.

It took him a few tries, but he managed to get the door unlocked, and he opened the cupboard to reveal stacks and stacks of boxes of Pop-Tarts.

"Wow," Watson commented as she stood and moved to kneel next to Thor. "You take your Pop-Tarts seriously."

Thor snorted, but nodded in agreement. "What kind –"

"S'more…or strawberry…maybe cherry…or maybe apple strudel…" Watson trailed off. "I have no idea," she added after a moment. "You pick."

Thor thought for a moment, before reaching forward and taking hold of a box each of cherry and s'more. "Satisfactory?" He held up the boxes for inspection.

Watson nodded her agreement. "Perfect," she replied. He made a move to stand, but she took hold of his arm and pulled him down to sit next to her. "Pop-Tarts taste better when you eat them on the kitchen floor," she explained, as he settled in next to her.

"Do they, really?" Thor handed her the box of cherry Pop-Tarts.

"Yep." Watson tore into the box, and pulled out a packet.

* * *

When Lola woke up again, she noticed a Pepper-Up Potion, a pain potion and a Dreamless Sleep Potion on the bedside table, along with a note in Hermione's curling manuscript.

_Drink the Pepper-Up Potion and the pain potion when you wake up. Drink the Dreamless Sleep Potion for the nightmares._

_ Thank Merlin for Hermione Jean Granger, _Lola thought as she downed both with a slight grimace. Immediately, she felt perkier, and the pain seemed to melt out of her body.

"Miss Barton –Actually, what would you prefer I call you?" JARVIS asked.

Lola thought on it for awhile. "Keep calling me Potter for now, JARVIS. Can I help you?"

"Miss Holmes is here, along with the young Mr. Lupin. Miss Holmes was inquiring as to whether or not you were accepting visitors at this time."

"I'm ready whenever they are," Lola replied, pushing herself into a sitting position. Her leg was still sore, but it was much more manageable after that pain potion.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and a head of purple hair scurried into the room, followed by, to Lola's surprise, Clint and Natasha.

"'T-Char!" Teddy cried as she reached over and pulled him into the bed with her. He squealed as she planted a smacking kiss on his cheek.

"Hey there!" Lola replied enthusiastically as Teddy crawled into her lap.

"_C'int._" He pointed to Clint. "Nat." He pointed to Natasha.

Lola nodded her understanding. "Yup," she said, "You sure are smart!"

Teddy nodded in return, but quickly lost interest and began to play with strands of Lola's hair. His hair shifted to a greenish-bluish color, which was a telltale sign that he was getting tired.

"When did he get here?" Lola asked.

"Few minutes ago," Clint replied, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. "He was asleep, though."

Lola nodded, and blew a piece of hair from her face as Teddy tried to wrap it around her head. The boy giggled a bit, and clapped his hands, but gave up quickly on her red hair and went to play with the fingers on Lola's left hand.

"How long was I out for? The last time, I mean?"

"Hour, tops. You're good with him," Natasha noted as she watched Teddy lean against Lola's stomach and manipulate her fingers.

"I'm the only one who can get him to go to sleep without having to bribe him with playtime or trips to the park. He never stays asleep very long for naps with the others," Lola said proudly. "Whenever we ask him who his favorite is, he always picks me. Well, except for the time when Fred and George took him to the lake. They were his favorites for awhile after that."

"Lake…" Teddy murmured.

"Mmhmm," Lola agreed quietly.

"He and Thor made quite an impression on each other," Natasha noted.

"_T'Or," _Teddy mumbled as he blinked sleepily and began to rub his eyes.

"Where are his parents?" Clint asked, observing Teddy's eyes fluttering closed.

He looked up to meet Lola's stare, and she looked at him for such a long moment that it was nearly impossible to misinterpret the look.

"His dad, Remus, was one of my adoptive parents' best friends," Lola explained, "And his mum, Tonks, was a really good friend to…well, everyone. They named me godmother, but I've got no idea where to start, or what I'm even supposed to be doing.

"It happened…a few weeks ago, at the final battle. I think it might've been one of the hardest moments of my life, seeing them. They put them together, you know, Remus and Tonks. It was kind of nice, in a really weird way."

"Lola –" Clint started.

"Don't." Lola's face hardened. "Please, don't apologize to me for things that we can't change anymore. Believe it or not, I've learned a few things in the past few years, and the main thing is that it is really, quite hard to change things, so we have to learn to work with what we've got. And, yeah, there are some things I wish I could do over, things I wish I could change, but I'm living with them now, you know? Making things, or at least, trying to make things work out for me."

"You're a wise kid, you know that?"

Lola smiled. "I've been told a time or two."

* * *

"And this one here, I got when I became a Hit Witch. I'm only the second female to have been accepted in history." Watson pointed to an inscription of '_Veni, vidi, vici' _on the back of her neck. "It quite literally means 'I came, I saw, I conquered' in Latin. It's one of my favorite quotes."

"You are a most magnificent woman, Lady Watson," Thor breathed, his fingers tracing the words, sending definite shivers up Watson's spine.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome."

After a moment of silence, Thor noticed the black outline of a skull on her shoulder. It was small, not very noticeable unless you stood very close, but it was there.

"What is this one?" he asked. "The skull?"

Watson sighed. Of course it would be that one.

"I was married, once." Thor's hand tensed on her back. "He was a Healer around the same time that I was. It was this whirlwind romance, and I fell deeply, irrevocably in love with the man.

"Well, one day I came home to find him…how shall I put this…_fucking _some whore in our bed. I kicked her out first, but then he came after me –"

"He hit you?" Thor's voice was low, dangerous.

"Nearly killed me," Watson confirmed. "He kept saying over and over again, 'This is your fault, you frigid bitch! This is your fault!' He knocked my wand from my hands, so I ran, or more, hobbled at a very fast pace into the kitchen. I grabbed a knife, and he followed me in there, rushed at me. I don't think he ever saw the knife, because the next thing I knew, he had impaled himself on it, and my hands were suddenly covered in both our blood.

"One of my best friends at the time, Tonks, you know, Teddy's mother, came over and found me in a chair, bent over the table and half-dead. She took me to St. Mungo's, the place where I worked, and got me all fixed up."

Watson's head tilted back against the cupboard, and she let out a long breath. She looked over at Thor. "From the moment I woke up at St. Mungo's, I knew I was done with that era of my life. I quit my job that very day, walked out of that hospital a few days later, became a Hit Witch, and the rest is history. I got the tattoo to commemorate…something. I'm really not sure what it is."

"Your marriage?"

"No. No, definitely not. That…that was poisonous, something that if I could forget, I would. Definitely not that." Her eyes began to water, and she quickly wiped the tears away, but it didn't escape Thor's notice.

He caught her wrist, and reached his other hand up to swipe a thumb across her cheek. "I have upset you," he mumbled. "I am ashamed."

"No, don't be," Watson replied. "But, can we, umm, change the subject?"

His thumb slowed across her cheek and his eyes searched hers. "Of course. What would you wish to speak about?"

Watson leaned into his hand, and she thought for a moment.

"If you could do anything in the world –"

"Might I point out that I am not from this world?"

"Fine," Watson acquiesced. "If you could do anything that you wanted, right at this very moment, what would you do?"

"I would lay a kiss upon your beautiful lips," Thor breathed, "And hope that you might return it in kind."

"So why don't you?"

And then he was leaning towards her, and she was leaning towards him, and their lips met, and it felt _right. _It was soft and sweet, and something clicked inside of Watson, and her lips were pressing more firmly against Thor's, and he tasted of Pop-Tarts and mint, and something that she couldn't put her finger on, but seemed so incredibly _Thor. _The fingers on his right hand cupped the back of her neck and pulled her closer, and the fingers on his left were trailing up and down her tattooed arm, sending major shockwaves through her system.

Far too soon, they were pulling apart, and Thor's eyes were traveling up and down her face. "I harbor feelings of attraction for you, Lady Watson –"

"Jennifer," Watson corrected, her eyes closing just slightly. "Call me Jennifer. And I think I just might happen to reciprocate your feelings of attraction."

"You might?"

A small smile spread across her features. "Maybe," she said slowly. "I'm not really sure though."

"Maybe?"

"Yeah." Watson leaned in a little closer. "I might need to kiss you again to help me decide."

Thor grinned slightly. "Anything to help the lady."

* * *

As Tony had begun to explain the situation to Pepper, a sick feeling had begun to settle in the pit of her stomach. This was a bittersweet moment for everyone, herself included, but Tony was taking it really hard.

"Why do you look like you've done something wrong?" Pepper asked, running a hand through his annoyingly soft hair.

"Because it's my fault!" Tony shouted, standing off the couch to pace the room.

"I don't get it," Pepper replied, wishing that she could follow his line of thought right now. Normally, having known Tony Stark for years, she could easily jump on Tony's train of thought and ride it to a conclusion, but right now she was lost in transit. "How is any of this your fault?"

"I don't know!" Tony cried. "It just is!"

"Tony," Pepper said, climbing to her feet. His back was to her, and she was just tall enough without her heels on to rest her chin on the back of his shoulder. "I know that you want someone to be responsible for this…And I think it's really noble that you want it to be you, and that you want to find a way to make it better and to change what happened –but it isn't your fault, and you can't change her suffering."

"Jesus Christ, Pepper, what the hell do I do?"

"I think you already know," Pepper replied.

"Not really," Tony countered, as he spun around and pulled Pepper into a tight hug. "You've always been my problem-solver."

"Just be there for her," Pepper offered. "She's gonna need her godfathers."

"Oh. I'd already planned on that, so anything else?"

"Yeah." Pepper tilted her face upward and pulled Tony's face down for a kiss that had them both breathing heavy when she pulled away. "Hi."

"Hi yourself."

"I'm really glad you're okay."

"Ditto. It would've sucked if I missed that kiss."

* * *

"I have to pee," Lola announced quietly as she unwrapped her arm from around a sleeping Teddy and made to get out of bed. Clint was right there in a second, holding his arm out, and she looked up at him.

"What the ruddy hell d'you think you're doing?"

"Helping you to the bathroom?"

"Nope. Nope." Lola pushed his hand away, and stood gingerly on her own. "Not only is that really weird, but I am not a fu –freaking invalid. I can get to the damn bathroom on my own." She checked over her shoulder to make sure that Teddy hadn't heard her poor use of language. He was still sleeping, snoring softly, so she assumed that she was okay. "The bloody bathroom is four feet away from me."

"Alright," Clint replied, and went to stand by the bathroom door. "Let's go, then."

Lola's first step was a little wobbly because her head was throbbing a little and her leg, which was covered in a bandage and some very excellent burn paste, stung a little more than she'd expected it to. Her second step was much more efficient, her leg hurting less, and by the third step, she was walking with a steady limp.

As she passed by Clint, she shot him a smirking triumphant look and stuck out her tongue.

"Oh, yeah, real mature," she heard him mutter as she shut the bathroom door.

* * *

"You don't even get to judge," Natasha pointed out from her chair. "That's your signature move whenever you're injured and manage to get to the bathroom by yourself."

"Yeah, but I don't like it now that someone else is doing it to me!" Clint complained. "That's not fair!"

Natasha rolled her eyes.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Lola hobbled out of the bathroom.

"I'm hungry," she announced. "Anything good to eat around here?"

* * *

Ron Apparated into Grimmauld Place to find Collins and the twins engaged in a fierce battle of Exploding Snap.

Fred looked up, and let out a cry of, "Hello there, brother dearest! What brings you to this fine establishment on this day?"

Ron pointedly ignored the twins, and spoke directly to Collins. "Lola told them everything," he explained, "And they didn't take it well. We think the Captain might need someone to talk to."

"Me?" Collins lunged forward and tapped the matching cards before the twins had even had a chance to look at them. "Why me? Our date was a complete disaster, and I really don't think I'd be the person to talk to –"

"Collins, he's got no one else."

"Well, I suppose I could –"

Ron was already pulling the woman out of her seat and filling in for her in the game. "Great," he said.

Collins stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"Well, I'll see you later." Collins pulled her wand from her pocket.

"Bye."

* * *

When Collins Apparated into the gym at StarkTower, she was not surprised to see Steve working his anger out on a punching bag. He was so involved that he appeared not to have heard the pop of Apparation, but JARVIS's standard greeting of "Welcome, Miss Collins," had the super-soldier whipping his head around.

"Hi," she said, kicking off her flip-flops and seating herself on the gym mat.

Steve made to unwrap his fists, but Collins held up a hand.

"Don't stop on my account."

He shrugged. "I was done anyways."

"Really?" she asked as he sat down next to her on the bench. "You look like you've still got some pent-up anger raging inside right about now."

And he did. His shoulders were all tense, and there was a crease in between his eyebrows that told of just how upset he actually was.

But the only thing Steve did was shrug again. "It's not about me," he said quietly as he finished unwrapping his hands. "It's about the fact that my goddaughter went through a whole war that we never knew about."

Collins wasn't having any of that. "You shouldn't put your feelings like that," she said, folding her legs Indian-style. "It's not healthy."

"That's fine."

"No, it's not," Collins dictated. He turned his head away from his gym bag to glare at her. "You can't do that, because the feelings will eat you alive."

"What do you suggest then?"

Collins let herself fall backwards onto the mat, so she was staring up at the ceiling. She looked at Steve and patted the spot next to her.

When he didn't move, she lifted her head off the mat and said, "I'm not laying here to try and seduce you. Come on, Cap."

Reluctantly, Steve did as commanded, and when he, too, was staring up at the ceiling, he asked somewhat irately, "What now?"

"Talk to me."

"About what?"

"Anything. Make it about you, for once in your life."

"I'm…angry. Furious, even, because she had to go through that, see the things I can picture her seeing in my mind, do some of the things I know she would have had to do."

"Do you feel guilty?" Collins turned her head to watch him speak.

He inhaled sharply. "No," he replied. "I think that's really only because I know that I'm not directly responsible. I'm wishing right about now that things could've been different. I'm looking for someone to blame, right now."

"Blame life. Blame chance, hell, blame Dumbledore for bringing her into this whole mess to begin with. Christ, Steve –"

"You called me 'Steve'."

"What?"

Steve turned his head to gaze at her with wondering blue eyes. "You called me 'Steve'," he repeated softly.

"That's your name, isn't it? Do you not like it or something, I can call you something else if you want."

"You haven't called me by my name before."

"Oh," Collins replied, turning on her side so that the length of her body was pressed against the gym mat, and her head was supported by her arm.

"I like it."

She offered him a grin. "Maybe I'll keep doing it, then."

They laid there in silence for awhile, just staring at one another, until Steve asked suddenly, "Why did you come here? Not that I don't want you here, but you didn't come all this way just to see me, did you?"

"I might have."

"Why?"

Collins shrugged with a free shoulder. "Ron told me what happened, and I thought you could use a friend," she explained nonchalantly.

"Thank you for coming," Steve said quietly.

"Anytime," Collins replied. "I think I owe you one after that disastrous date we had – I'm sorry for that, by the way."

Steve snorted and tilted his head back. "It wasn't your fault. I'm still a little behind the whole dating thing nowadays."

"Steve, I invited you in for a nightcap and practically jumped you. That _is _kind of my fault."

"I have to admit that you did look pretty tempting though." He whistled low. "A guy could get used to a pair of gams all done up in those jeans –what did you call them again?"

Collins laughed. "Skinny jeans, Steve. They're called 'skinny jeans'."

"Yeah, those. And another thing," he went on, "A guy could get used to a dame –I mean, woman – like you. I like you. Maybe, we could try that date again sometime; maybe get it right, you know?"

He flushed red when he realized that he'd actually said all of that out loud.

"You asking me on a date, Steve Rogers?"

"I –I –I…"

"'Cause, if you are, I'd love to."

A grin spread across his face. "Good. I'm glad." Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Hey, are you busy right now? I know this burger joint around the corner, and I'm starved."

"I could go for a burger right about now," Collins commented, as he stood up and offered her his hand. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet.

"Great. Let's go."

As they walked to the elevator, she leaned into his ear and whispered, "By the way, I like you too. And a girl could get used a guy calling her a 'dame'. It's kind of hot."

He ran into the wall.

* * *

**A/N: Thirty reviews and I'll...I got nothing. Review with something that you want to see happen in the next chapter, and I'll see what I can do about getting it in there.**


	14. Meat, Raids, Pictures and Interrogations

**A/N: Guys. Guys. Guys! GUYS! Guess what day it is? The 25th, but guess what monumental event took place today?! That's right THE AVENGERS came out today! AND I ACTUALLY MANAGED TO FIND A COPY! Some said it couldn't be done, but to that I say suck it! IT CAN BE DONE! **

**My mother asked me what I was having for dinner, and I told her Captain America. She thinks I need professional help, but then again, she's never seen the Avengers, so she really doesn't understand.**

**Anyhoo, in honor of the release of the Avengers, I'm posting a new chapter. ENJOY! **

**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! (disclaimer to be read in that super-fast voice at the end of commercials: I do not own HP or the Avengers. Any assumptions that I do own either of these brilliant franchises will be hailed as wrong, and you will be set on fire for that dumbass assumption. You've been warned.)**

* * *

When Clint walked into the kitchen with Lola on his back, he nearly dropped her at the sight of Thor and Watson in a full-on make out session on the kitchen floor.

"Wow." Lola's mouth dropped open as she observed the sight from over Clint's shoulder. "Don't stop on our account, but at least get a non-public room."

They didn't even bother to stop, but Watson held out one of her hands in a shooing motion.

"Way to keep it PG around my kid, guys," Clint muttered, disgruntled, as he turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen.

Lola snorted. "I already know what sexual intercourse is," she replied with a grin. "Kind of a full-grown adult here. And, I'm still hungry, so why are we leaving the area with the food?"

"I just remembered that this isn't the only kitchen in the building. Hell, this isn't even the only kitchen on this _floor._"

"Oh. Alright, then. Do these other kitchens happen to have a supply of spaghetti? I love spaghetti."

Clint grinned. "I think we can work something out."

* * *

To Lola's immense delight, the fully-stocked kitchen in Clint and Natasha's apartment held a large supply of spaghetti. Her happiness was quickly squashed when she realized that the spaghetti came with a large supply of meatballs. Before she could open her mouth, JARVIS spoke, "Mr. Barton, Miss Holmes has asked me to inform you that Miss Potter is not to have any meat whatsoever."

_Shit. _Lola groaned as Clint shot her a look with raised eyebrows, before asking "And why might that be?"

"Miss Holmes said that Miss Potter is allergic to meat products, including seafood-"

JARVIS had barely gotten the words out before Clint was snatching the plate away and dumping it down the sink. He turned back to her, and even though Lola instantly felt bad, she also felt a scolding coming on. "When were you planning on telling me this?"

"Literally right when JARVIS started talking," Lola replied. "I'm sorry I forgot to tell you before you went through all this trouble –"

"Don't worry about it. Shit, I can't believe I never asked, I'm sorry kid." He sat down on the edge of the chair that her injured leg was propped up on.

Lola shrugged. "Not your fault," she replied.

They went a long time without speaking, until Clint looked down at the chair and said quietly, "We missed a lot."

Lola nodded, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

"There's a lot we have to learn."

"We've got all the time in the world to figure that out," Lola replied.

He looked up at her, and his eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"Yeah."

After a moment, he asked, "So how do you feel about pizza? I think we've got some cheese pizza in the freezer."

Lola sighed dramatically. "I _guess _I could have pizza," she replied, flipping her hair.

"You guess?"

* * *

When Natasha walked into the apartment after dropping Teddy off with Hermione, she nearly laughed at the sight of Clint and Lola, whose leg was propped up by pillows on top of the ottoman, on the couch with a box of pizza between them, completely engrossed in a movie they'd found on TV.

The scene was absolutely adorable, and Natasha used all of her skills gained as a spy to sneak by the living room unnoticed. She crept into the master bedroom and grabbed her camera before sneaking back out to the living room to crouch slightly in front of the couch.

Natasha knew from the slight smile on Clint's face that he knew she was there, but he didn't make any other, and Lola didn't seem to react until the flash of the camera made her jump.

Lola winced as the movement jostled her leg, and Natasha instantly felt quite awful. "Owww," she moaned.

"I'm sorry," was all Natasha could say.

"It's okay," she replied through somewhat gritted teeth. "Did you get a good picture?"

Natasha looked down at the preview screen on the camera.

"Yeah."

It _was _a good picture. Lola had just finished swallowing a bite of pizza, and her mouth was hanging open slightly as she went to take another bite. Her eyes were wide open and fixated on the movie. Clint had that smile on his face that said that he knew exactly what was going on, but was simply choosing not to react to it, and his eyes were also on the unseen TV screen.

This picture was _so _going up on a wall somewhere.

* * *

**(A/N: There actually is a ****_point _****to this part, I didn't put it in for shits and giggles.) **"Agent Holmes, I don't know where the _hell _you are, but I swear to Merlin that if you aren't in my office within the next five minutes, you are suspended. For a month. _Without pay._ We've got a lead on a Death Eater hideout at the Carrow Estates, and Agent Kennedy can't head the raid because he broke his goddamn ribs fighting a troll without backup…_dumbass_…Get here. Now." The voice was stern, angry-sounding as it spoke through the Patronus in the shape of a raven.

Watson groaned at the sound of her boss and mentor, Head Hit Wizard Edwards, as she pulled away from Thor. "I really have to go," she whispered. "I don't like getting suspended, and if they're calling me in at this time of day back home, it's definitely urgent."

"Are you in trouble, Jennifer?"

"Nah, he just likes to sound mean. His bark is worse than his bite."

"I do not understand," Thor said, looking confused again. "Is he an animal? Why is he barking and why is he biting?"

Watson laughed as she stood. "You're funny. I'll see you later." She kissed him on the cheek, spun and was gone.

"I do not understand," Thor repeated to no one. "Why is he barking and biting?"

* * *

Over the next few days, Lola healed quickly, the burn on her leg being reduced to a small scar. She got to know all of the Avengers, plus Fury, Maria and Phil to some extent, and they got to know her in return. They also became acquainted with the Order, and, much to the chagrin of every male occupant of Stark Tower, Oliver who came by almost every other day. Lola also met Pepper one day, while she was laying upside down on the couch with her feet hanging over the headrest, watching a _Pirates of the Caribbean _marathon on the huge flat-screen.

Pepper walked into the room while Lola was in the middle of the second. Apparently, all she'd seen at first was a pair of feet hanging over the back of the couch, and she was about to give someone the scolding of a lifetime, when Lola's head appeared over the back of the couch.

"Hi."

Pepper looked taken aback. "Hi," she said slowly.

"I'm Lola. You must be Pepper."

Pepper nodded slowly. "Yes." Then, she raised her eyebrows at the screen. "_Pirates, _huh?"

Lola nodded forcefully, her cheeks red from the exertion of holding herself up for so long. "Yeah," she replied. "I haven't had much time for fun in awhile. Trying to catch up on…well, everything."

Pepper turned to leave, but at the last moment, turned back and asked, "Do you want some company?"

Lola appraised the strawberry blonde for a moment, before replying, "Sure, but pajamas and junk food are required."

So, everything was fine and dandy, at least for awhile.

Then, one day, things got bad.

Really bad.

Really, really, really _bad._

Lola was on the couch, trying her hardest, but failing miserably, to get through the fourth chapter of _Twilight. _It hadn't really been her idea, but Cho Chang had suggested it to her. Lola really couldn't see why –the book could've easily been written by a second-year, and this main character, Bella what's-her-face, seemed dumber than a box of…well Crabbe and Goyle.

Maybe Cho was into that sort of thing. It would clear up a lot of unanswered questions in Lola's mind.

"Miss Potter," JARVIS interrupted. "Mr. Wood has come to see you, and I am afraid that your father and godfathers are using intimidation techniques to try to make him leave. They are on the forty-fifth floor, in the kitchen."

"Are they, now?" Lola closed the book and stood. "How's Oliver holding up?"

"It's hard to tell, Miss Potter."

Before she left the room, she lit the book on fire with a flame-encased palm and watched with satisfaction as the book turned to ash.

"Good choice, Miss Potter."

* * *

Lola sauntered into the kitchen on the forty-fifth floor to find Oliver in a chair, surrounded by her father, Tony, Steve, Thor and Bruce, who really looked like he didn't want to be there, but had been roped into it by everyone else. Oliver almost looked like he wanted to make a break for it, but everyone else in the room, with the exception of Bruce, looked like they would break _him _if he tried.

Lola leaned against the door frame, and asked casually, "So, what's with the full-fledged interrogation?"

Thor, Bruce and Steve jumped and turned their attention towards her, Tony threw her a smirking glance, and Clint didn't even bother to look up.

"Lady Barton, we were –"

"Lola, it's not what it looks like –"

" –wasn't my idea –"

Finally, Tony held up a hand and stopped the madness. "Princess," he declared, "We're testing this guy's worthiness."

Lola's eyebrows raised. "Oh?" she asked. "And for what reason are you doing that?"

"We're trying to decide whether or not he's good enough to date you."

"How's he doing on that?"

"We haven't decided yet," Clint replied, staring Oliver down.

"Well, I'm suspending further interrogations," Lola notified them.

They looked up at her with blank faces.

"Indefinitely."

More blank faces.

Lola waved a hand dismissively. "You can leave now!"

Tony rolled his eyes. "My house, my rules."

"I'll tell Pepper."

"I, for one, think we should do as Lola says," Steve replied with wide eyes. He'd seen the wrath of Pepper before, and he wasn't looking to repeat that little experience.

Tony had a suspicious look on his face. "You wouldn't –"

"JARVIS, could you get Pepper on the intercom, please?" Lola asked, examining her nails with a lazy flick of her fingers.

"SHIT, she would! It's definitely time to go!"

The room cleared out in less than ten seconds flat, and Lola looked apologetically at Oliver. "I'm really sorry about them."

Oliver let out a long breath of relief. "It's okay, I'm just really glad you got there when you did, love. I thought I was going to crack!"

Lola sat down across the table from him. "Not that I am not _thrilled _to see you," she said, folding her hands across the top of the table. "But may I inquire as to the nature of your visit?"

"No," Oliver deadpanned.

Lola's eyebrows raised again. "No?"

"No." A slow grin spread across his face.

Lola thought for a moment. "Can I beat you across the head with a beater's bat until you tell me?" she asked sweetly.

"Actually, I'd prefer the first option if you don't mind."

Lola laughed. "Now can I inquire as to the nature of your visit?"

"Well, two things. Mrs. Weasely sent me over to remind you that it's brinner night. She expects –"

"BLOODY HELL! IT'S BRINNER NIGHT?" Lola cried. "Merlin's balls, how could I forget?!"

"I have no idea," Oliver admitted. "You've had me addicted to brinner for years now. Anyways, she expects everyone to come, and she also wanted me to remind you that brinner is at –"

"Six sharp," Lola finished for him. Then she sat back in her chair, and tilted her face towards the ceiling. "Good God, I can't _believe _I forgot that it's brinner night!" Lola sat forward in her chair. "Wait, you said you came over here for two things."

Oliver looked really nervous again, really suddenly. "Did I?" he stuttered, swallowing audibly. "I don't think I did."

"Jarvis?"

"He did, Miss Potter," the AI confirmed.

"You did."

He laughed nervously. "Well –it- it's really not that important," he said, letting out a nervous laugh. "I –I should really be going." He got to his feet, knocking over the chair.

Lola's eyes widened at his behaviour. "Would you calm down? Just say what you came here to say!"

Oliver looked down at his feet.

"Is it that bad?" Lola climbed halfway out of her chair, one knee resting on the chair, and the other standing on the floor.

He shook his head.

"Just _tell _me, Oliver. I won't judge you, pinky-promise."

The Scotsman peered up at her as if _she _were the one acting crazy. "Pinky –what? Never mind –willyougooutwithmeonFridayni ght?"

* * *

**And there you have it! I know it's short, but that's all I felt like writing today.**

**PS, I'm working on a JE/HP fanfic, so if there's any JE fans out there, I'd skip on over to that. That one will probably have really sparse updates until I finish this story, but it's the same kind of idea. HOWEVER, it IS a different storyline, so it's got that going for it. PLEASE read it if you're a JE fan, I'd really appreciate it.**

**Have a wonderful day! Remember to strut, not tiptoe!**


	15. Brinner, Fun and More Interrogations

**A/N: For all of you who don't know, JE is Janet Evanovich. Which I don't own. Just saying. For all of you who don't know what brinner is…well, you obviously don't watch Scrubs. 'Cuz if you do and you still don't know what brinner is…well, somebody should probably hit you with a Cruciatus. Or a Killing Curse. Just saying.**

**Alrighty, kinda fun, kinda sad, highly random, chapter for you guys! So sorry it took so long to get this out to you, but I'm up to my last bit of sanity in schoolwork, so I'm really happy that I found the time to get this out to you guys, because writing outside of school is one of my favorite hobbies.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP. Don't own Avengers. Just myself, and the places where this plot is going. Plot bunny belongs to SlyLittleLuna1234.**

* * *

_Previously on Keeping Up With the Kardashians…lol, just kidding –_

_Previously…_

_"Just tell me, Oliver. I won't judge you, pinky-promise."_

_The Scotsman peered up at her as if she were the one acting crazy. "Pinky –what? Never mind –willyougooutwithmeonFridayni ght?"_

Lola shook her head to clear the buzzing in her ears. "Say what?"

Oliver shook his head as well. "I thought you'd say no, it's silly, I know it is –"

Lola grabbed his arm and let out a laugh. "Honestly, I'm not saying no, and I have no idea what you just said. Say it again, and this time, _speak slower."_

He took a deep, heaving breath before asking again. "Will you go out with me…on Friday night? There's a party of sorts for the Puddlemere United team…they have one every year, it's usually pretty casual…would you go with me? To the party, I mean?"

Lola's heart did a little flip-flop in her chest. "I'd love to go with you, but are you sure you want me to go with you?"

He nodded. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you with me, love."

"Were you really _that _nervous about asking me?" she giggled. At his reluctant nod, she let out a laugh and said, "That is really cute, and yes, I'll go with you."

* * *

The occupants of Stark Tower had agreed wholeheartedly to attend brinner night at the Weasley household –once most of them had figured out what brinner was.

"Brinner?" Tony cried enthusiastically. "I love brinner! Count me in, princess!"

He had skipped away shouting, "Pepper! We're going to brinner tonight!"

"Cool," Clint said before walking away to find Natasha to tell her the brinner plans for the night.

"What time does this 'brinner night' start?" Bruce asked. When she told him it started at six, London time, he nodded once, said "okay," and walked back to his lab. Lola really wasn't sure if he actually knew what brinner was, but he didn't let on to whether or not he knew what it was, so she assumed that he did.

"What is this brinner that you speak of?" Thor asked from his seat at the table. He had already agreed to go once he'd learned that Watson would be there. She had been busy over the past couple of days with interrogations from a recent raid, and therefore hadn't spent much time with the demigod, who was anxious to see her.

Lola sighed dramatically. "'Brinner' is the most amazing, most delicious, most amazing –"

"You said 'amazing' twice," Steve pointed out.

Lola shot him a 'look'. "That's just how good –brilliant it is," she deadpanned with a deadly serious look on her face. "Anyways, brinner is the bestest, greatest, most amazing thing known to man. Essentially, you take everything that is good in the world, put it into breakfast form…and you eat it for dinner."

Thor had a look of an epiphany on his face, but Steve still looked confused.

"Brinner. You know… 'breakfast' for 'dinner'?" Lola explained.

He still didn't quite get it.

"Merlin's beard," Lola muttered under her breath. "You know what, you'll see when you get there. This is one reference that you don't understand."

* * *

"I don't understand," Tony said, staring at the fireplace. "You expect me to get _in _the fireplace?"

"Not if you don't want to go," replied Lola. "Everyone else is already there, but you don't have to go if you don't want brinner."

"You drive a hard bargain," sighed Tony dramatically. "But I guess I'll go if you _really_ want me to."

Lola giggled, and Tony offered her a mischievous grin. "Let's go, Little Miss Primadonna. I'm hungry for some pancakes."

* * *

Steve wasn't sure he'd ever seen a more gorgeous woman that Kelly Hardwicke-Collins, he realized as he watched her teaching the twins some tricks for that game…what had she called it–Quidditch that they all loved so much. She was strong, smart, witty, fun, pretty –beautiful, really – assertive, compassionate, and entertaining to no end…she was everything he could want in a woman.

And, as if she could tell what he was thinking, Collins looked over her shoulder at him, radiant brown skin glowing in the evening light, and crinkled her face at him into a captivating smile.

* * *

Watson was fucking exhausted from the past week of doing nothing but interrogations on prisoners from her last raid –not that she didn't enjoy it. On the contrary, she found few things more satisfying than walking into an interrogation room wearing her most intimidating face and official Hit Wizard's robes. But it was a long process; there were at least seventeen Death Eaters they'd caught, including her Death Eater ex-husband Selwyn and the Lestrange brothers, who were refusing to talk.

In fact, had she not known that she was going to get fed, she probably would have skipped going to the Weasley's all together, and just gone home to her –oh, who was she kidding, she would have gone no matter what, even if only to drown out the silence that suffocated her single bedroom apartment.

Blearily rubbing her eyes as she stumbled through the front door of the Burrow, she walked into the kitchen to find a large group of people working in the kitchen. She slid her trainers off her feet and set them next to the door, where at least twenty other pairs of shoes rested.

"Hello?" Watson called tentatively, stepping further into the kitchen.

Mrs. Weasley's head popped out from behind Neville (there were some people who doubted his magical abilities, not many after the last couple of years, but the man was genius with a fry pan and pancake batter.) and cried, "Oh, hello, Jennifer, dear! How are you?"

Watson yawned. "I could sleep for days, but I'm so hungry I could eat a horse, so please don't be angry if I fall asleep at dinner."

"Oh, go sit down! You look exhausted, dear!"

"Are you sure? I can cut fruit or something, if you –"

"Darling, I am a witch. We can set the knives to do the cutting for us. Go on!"

Watson nodded once, knowing the catastrophe that could begin if she didn't follow Molly Weasley's orders, and wandered barefoot into the living room, where she collided with a huge wall of muscle. She immediately smelt the minty scent that was wholly and completely Thor. "Hi," she said, her voice slightly muffled from her face being pressed into his massive chest.

"Good evening," he greeted quietly. "Are you well?"

"Sure, if 'well' really means 'could fall asleep right here, standing fully upright.'"

"Are you ill?" he asked, somewhat alarmed.

"No, just tired. I would have just gone home, but there's food here."

"Come sit." Thor led Watson outside and sat her down on one of the many mismatched sofas in the backyard.

"Pepper, Bruce, Andy." Watson nodded to the two as she sat down across from them. She extended her legs over the length of the couch and rested her head on one of Thor's thighs. He took to running a large hand through her hair, and the soothing cadence would have been enough to make her fall asleep, had it not been for the huge amount of noise that seemed to come as a natural effect of being in the Weasley household.

The three nodded in return, but their attentions had been diverted, as a pickup game of Quidditch had decided to materialize (at Lola's insistence, of course. She just _had _to test out the Canadian-made Firebolt 300 that had arrived that morning. For some reason, the Canadian-made brooms were always the best.). The players were busy dividing themselves up into teams while Hermione gave Clint and Steve a rundown of how the game was played.

From behind the couch, she heard Mrs. Weasley say, "Oh, are they _really _starting up a game _now?"_

"It looks like it," Bruce replied, still engrossed in the game even though it hadn't actually started.

"Well, at least make sure that they put Fred and George on opposite teams. No matter what happens, they always stir up trouble if they work together."

* * *

In the end, the twins had ended up on the same team. They always did, even going so far as to suffer the wrath of Pepper's chastising in order to stay on the same team. The first team consisted of Lola (who was playing both Seeker and a Chaser), the twins, Dean and Ron, and the other was made up of Ginny, Collins, Seamus, Charlie, Angelina and Oliver.

"I feel like this is unfair," Ron said as he eyed the other team's huddle.

"No kidding," Dean replied. "Why do they get both the professional players, and we're stuck with you for a keeper?"

The twins snickered.

"Alright, enough of that," said Lola. "We've got to stick together."

"That's right," agreed Dean as he turned his head to Lola. "Our success today depends on you."

With an eye roll, Lola replied, "When does it not?"

"They're going to be testing you, Potter," Fred noted.

"Your boyfriend's on the other team," added George.

"I am perfectly capable of being objective," Lola protested. "Besides, he is _not _my boyfriend!"

"Doesn't matter," replied Dean. "They'll still be wanting to use that against you."

"Hey, girls, we gonna play or what?" Oliver called.

"Don't know who you're calling girls, Wood!" Lola shot back. "With those hips, we all know that you've got the most feminine figure here!"

Both sides dissolved into giggles, and Lola shot Oliver an impish look. Even Hermione was smirking as she came out to release the balls for the game.

"Alright," Hermione called out to both sides. "I'll be watching, so don't think that you can get away with any funny business, especially you, Fred and George –"

"'Mione, we've been doing that for years, now!" George replied.

"It's all we know!"

"Okay, I'm amending my previous statement," replied Hermione. "Don't kill, maim, critically injure or otherwise incapacitate anyone. Have fun you idiots."

And, with that, she unlocked the Bludgers and the Snitch and threw the Quaffle into the air.

* * *

"Why are they playing down?" Bruce asked as Hermione sat down in the grass.

She pointed to Clint. "Your daughter is probably the best damn seeker this world has ever seen. They really hate it when she catches the Snitch before they've had a chance to score."

Clint smirked and sat back proudly in his chair, but frowned when his vision was obscured by a head of red hair.

"Tasha…Nat, I can't see."

She shifted to the side so that her feet hung off the edge of the chair. "What's this?" she asked, pointing to the game.

He began tracing figure eights on her shin while he explained the basics of Quidditch to her, Hermione adding or correcting facts that he missed every once in awhile.

Of course, both sides scored points. Most often, the point would be contested by members from the other team, and more often than not the contesters were Weasleys or Seamus.

The score had been conveniently tied when Mrs. Weasley came out to yell at them to come in for brinner.

Groaning, the players reluctantly came down from the air, Fred and George batting a bludger between them even as Mrs. Weasley looked on in irritation.

* * *

"Wow," said Natasha. "That's um… that is a lot of food."

"Have you seen the sheer number of people here?" asked Lola. "Better yet, have you seen how much Steve and Thor eat on a daily basis? Try multiplying that by… a lot. You need a lot of food to feed the Weasleys alone."

"So where do we start?"

"Well, you want to start off by getting as much food as you think you're going to eat. There won't be much left over by the time these idiots get through with it. Oh, and Mrs. Weasley will want to make sure you're eating far more than you think you can, because she tends to see people as being thirty pounds lighter than they really are. Watch your food, too, because if you look away for too long, someone _will _try to steal it."

"Sounds like you're a pro," Natasha noted as Lola handed her a plate.

"I'm practically a legend," Lola replied as she shoved past Seamus to get at the pancakes. "I should teach a class… 'Dining With the Weasleys for Dummies.' Oi, stop that!" she cried as Seamus used his shoulder to shove her back a few steps. "Hey, ladies first!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Seamus replied dramatically. "I can't believe my manners. Go ahead, Ms. Rushman."

* * *

"So, Lola, dear, have you given any thought to whether or not you'll be going back to school?" Mrs. Weasley asked over the din of the backyard table.

Lola paused with a huge bite of pancake halfway to her wide-open mouth as the attention in the backyard shifted readily to her. She bit down on the bite, chewed, swallowed, shrugged and replied, "No idea. Hadn't thought that far. Anyone else going back?"

"No," Ron snorted the exact same moment as Hermione nodded vigorously with an enthusiastic, "Of course!" Most of the rest of the teenagers at the table shook their heads, with the exception of Ginny, who nodded reluctantly.

"That was a nice attempt at deflection." Watson licked some syrup off the back of her fork.

"Didn't work, though," Collins added with a snort.

"Why wouldn't you want to go back?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Why would she? There's nothing left for her there," Charlie replied.

"Yes, but it's _Hogwarts,_" Mrs. Weasley protested. "Lola can't just _drop _out of school –"

"Why not? She did it a year ago, of course she can do it again –"

"I think _Lola_ should do whatever _Lola_ wants," Clint interrupted loudly.

Lola shot him a grateful look.

"What do you want to do?" Bruce asked.

Lola rested her head in her hand and wiggled her nose in a very Samantha-like fashion. "I haven't got any idea."

"If you're at all interested in law enforcement, my boss is in love with the idea of having the Chosen One on his team," Watson offered.

"And every team in the Quidditch league wants to claim you as their Seeker," added Oliver.

_"That's not the only thing you want her for,"_ Clint hissed under his breath. Lola narrowed her eyes at him.

"Especially Gwenog," Collins said, letting out a breathy laugh. "Every time we go out for drinks, she gets pissed and starts talking about how great it would be to have you on their team."

All further conversation ceased when Kingsley Shacklebolt Apparated into the backyard with a pop.

"Ah, our fearless leader returns!" Lola greeted. "Wotcher, Kings."

The rest of the group greeted Kingsley in much the same way, and finally, Lola introduced the perplexed Muggles. "Have you met my parents?" Clint and Natasha both sat up a bit straighter when they heard how Lola referred to them.

If he were surprised, Kingsley did a very good job of hiding it. "No, I can't say that I have" he replied.

"Well, this is my father, Clint, and this is Natasha, my mother. And then we've got all of the godfathers. That big guy over there is Thor, and then there's Steve and Bruce and Tony and his girlfriend Pepper."

Kingsley shook everyone's hands before turning to Mrs. Weasley. "I can't stay long, I'm afraid, I've got to get back to work. I just came to inform you all that I have officially been made acting Minister of Magic –"

"Woooo!" the twins shouted in unison, throwing their hands in the air.

"–and there's supposed to be a party of sorts next month. You're all invited, of course, except for Lola, Hermione and Ron –"

"Ex-cuse me?"

"–they're expected to come," Kingsley finished.

"Of course we are," Lola replied. "Who wouldn't expect us to be at a party? Not that I really want to go–"

"'Eez zis a party or a boll?" Fleur asked. "Zhere eez a large deeference between a party and a boll."

Kingsley shrugged. "I believe it's a ball."

"Great!" Tony said enthusiastically. "I love balls!"

* * *

Lola was biting her lip and rocking back and forth in her chair when Neville came over to sit next to her.

"How's it going?"

Lola shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"No," Neville replied. "I mean, how are you?" He waved an arm around at nothing in particular. "With all of this, I mean?"

Lola sighed. "I don't really know. A little freaked out, pretty...I don't know. I've spent almost seventeen years of my life believing that my parents were dead, and that was that. Now to have all of this -" she waved an arm, mimicking Neville "-come around, I really don't know what to think, how to act -"

"Just be you," Neville replied. He gestured to the group of people laughing inside. "They already love you, that much is obvious."

Lola nodded. "You're a good friend, Neville."

"So I've been told." He grinned.

"Do you think they're having fun?"

He tilted his head at the sound of more laughter. "It's the Weasley housedhold, you really can't help but have fun."

* * *

An hour later, all of the boys had disappeared, and Luna was quick to voice this fact.

"Where'd they go?" Pepper asked.

"Dunno," Ginny replied. "But let's get to more important things."

"Like what?" Lola asked, leaning back to put her feet on the worn coffee table.

"Did Wood finally ask you on that date?"

Lola let out a laugh. "I don't know if that's more important, Gin –"

"Doesn't matter," Collins replied. "Yes or no?"

"Yes," said Lola slowly, almost as if she were asking a question.

"Where?" Natasha asked.

"To that Puddlemere party on Friday."

Collins sucked air through her teeth like he'd made a bad decision. "Really?" She frowned, leaning forward.

"Hey, I happen to think it's sweet. You didn't see him ask."

"What did you say?"

"Umm…yes?"

Exceptionally girlish squeals came from the majority of the group, except for Natasha, Watson and Collins.

"What are you wearing?"

Lola shrugged. "Dunno," she replied. "It's only Saturday, so I've got, what? Six and a half days?"

* * *

"Okay, let's get down to business," Charlie said quietly. "First things first, I would like to welcome these gentlemen into the…well we don't really have a name."

"What is it that you –we do here?" Bruce asked.

"Basically, we just interrogate any boys that get within a foot of Hermione, Ginny and Lola until they either piss themselves in fear or give up," Fred replied.

"Does this…group actually work?" Steve asked, looking between the occupants of Fred and George's room.

"Usually," Ron replied, shooting Dean and Seamus glares.

"Like, ninety five percent of the time," Neville added.

"I like this," Clint said with a grin. "This is good."

"This is _really _good," Tony added.

* * *

"Where've you been?" Lola asked, looking over the edge of the couch as the men silently filed into the room. Tony, Clint and most of the Weasley's looked exceptionally proud of themselves, everyone else looked mostly indifferent, and Oliver looked quite pale.

"Boy stuff, princess," Tony replied.

Lola frowned at the sight of Oliver, but didn't reply.

* * *

"Are you sure this is okay, Lola?" Steve asked as she opened the door to 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Course," Lola replied, sauntering through the threshold and dismantling the wards with a flick of her hand. "I don't have the energy to Apparate everyone back to New York tonight, and this place has got more than enough space. Come on in."

"Whose house is this?" Natasha inquired as she followed Lola back into the darkened living room.

"Well, it's sort of a communal house, because there's always people coming and going through, but it's legally mine." At the surprised looks of everyone in the room, Lola explained further, "I inherited it."

"From who?"

Lola pointed to a bookshelf next to Steve. "Top shelf, third picture from the right."

Steve picked it up and began to study it, eyebrows rising in surprise when he figured out that the photograph moved. It was a picture of Lola and Sirius on her fifteenth birthday, right as he was smashing a huge piece of cake into her face. His left arm was slung casually around her shoulders, the right was holding the cake, and every time she turned to say something to him, he would raise his arm and push the cake into her face, plate, fork and all.

It was, to say the least, happy. Probably one of the last times Lola had been really, truly happy without the threat of death constantly hanging over her head.

To the unspoken question, Lola answered, "That's my other godfather. Or, that was. This was his house."

* * *

**A/N: What job do you think Lola should take? Poll's up on my profile!**

**Definitely review, por favor! **


	16. Being Scared and Clint's Girls

**A/N: I own nothing.**

* * *

"So, this is, ummm… this is quite the house," Steve commented as he climbed the stairs behind Lola, eyeing the cobwebbed house elf heads that hung on the wall. He was the last person she had to show to a room, and therefore had the room on the highest floor.

"It's dark and dirty and absolutely disgusting," Lola replied as they came to the third-story landing. At some point before she had shown everyone to their rooms, she had changed into her version of pajamas, which included bright orange knee high socks, red boxer shorts and a blue waffle-knit long sleeve, with her hair tied in a bun on top of her head. "I've got such conflicting feelings over it. I love it and I hate it, and the only reason I'm not burning it to the ground is because of the sentimental value. Plus, it's still got its uses."

"Will you live here?"

Lola shrugged as she led him down a hallway. "Probably. It's one of the only reliable homes that Teddy knows, so even if it's just for him I'd stay here."

"You love him a lot." It was obviously not a question, but Lola nodded anyways.

"Yeah," she replied solemnly. "I don't think I've discovered anything I wouldn't do for him. Your things are already in a guest bedroom, by the way."

"Thanks." He glanced sideways. "You'll make a great mom –"

Lola stopped abruptly in front of a door and cut him off. "Don't say that," she replied harshly, eyes watering. "Please don't ever, ever say that."

Steve opened his mouth to say something, but the angry, watered-eye look Lola gave him was so sharp that he closed it abruptly. She turned back to the door and opened it, revealing a large, darkened bedroom that he followed her into. Lola flicked the lights on before walking straight-backed to the bed and sitting down tensely on the white duvet.

"Go ahead," she muttered just loud enough for him to hear. "Ask away."

Slowly, Steve shut the door and followed Lola to sit down next to her on the bed.

"What happened?"

She looked down at her hands, twisting them in her lap. "I…um, I really don't know where to start," she sniffed.

He took one of her hands, unfolding it gently from the other, and enfolded it in his much larger, much warmer ones. "Take your time," he replied. "I'm not going anywhere."

The look she gave him told him that it had been a really long time since she had been around people who weren't there to say that they had met someone famous, and it made Steve all the more angry that she had been taken. Lola was supposed to have grown up with parents and lots of uncles who loved and doted on her. Not this, he reasoned. Never this.

Then, Lola looked back down into her lap, and was silent for a moment.

"It…it was during the war," she began, a little shakily. "In Malfoy Manor, when I was tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. Right after she'd finished carving…that word into my arm. She cast this –this curse, you see, _subsistocreationis,_ and I don't remember much after that except for this blinding, white hot pain that settled in my stomach. It was like I had swallowed molten lead, and it had taken hold of my organs, and it was twisting them around for her entertainment. And when it was done, I was just lying there on the ground in a pool of blood and vomit, and she stood above me, she was laughing hysterically, and she just stood there and cried, 'You may be worth nothing more than filth, Mudblood, but at least when we get finished with you, you won't spawn any half-breeds. Greyback will so enjoy you –'"

Lola broke off then in a choked sob, and Steve was suddenly gathering her into his arms, cradling her like he had once when she was a baby, a sick feeling settling into his own gut when he realized just how personal this war had become for her. He had just realized that one of her biggest dreams had been taken away from her in a matter of moments.

Lola's hands twisted into the front of his shirt, through which he could feel her tears soaking. He didn't care, though; if this was what his goddaughter needed to heal, he would have gladly given her every shirt in the world to cry upon.

Steve's hand took up residence stroking her wild curls, and he rested his chin on top of her head.

"I was so scared," she whispered into his shoulder. "Not of dying, but of what could have happened."

He wouldn't admit it to her, but he was scared too.

And it seemed like only a few minutes later that the normally vivacious seventeen year old had cried herself asleep.

* * *

When Lola woke up, it was to a musky scent and a grey button-down. She realized with a start that she wasn't, in fact, in her own bed, but in one of the guest bedrooms, and she had somehow ended up falling asleep on Steve. He was flat on his back, with an arm wrapped around her side, keeping her tucked against the length of his body. Her head lay against his shoulder, and her hands were still twisted in the fabric of his shirt.

Carefully, she unwrapped herself from him, rolled off the bed and tiptoed out the door and walked down to the kitchen.

* * *

_"Clint."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"I'm pregnant."_

_"You serious?"_

_"Do I look like I'm kidding?"_

_"That is…that is so fucking great, Tasha!"_

_"Are you kidding? We're spies, not parents, Clint! On top of that, we're both really young! We don't know what the hell we're doing!"_

_"You think everyone else knows what they're doing the first time? We can learn, Tasha, we can do this."_

"You can come in if you want. Kitchen's a public area."

Natasha mentally shook herself out of her reverie and took a few steps into the kitchen, looking around at the mayhem quizzically, and attempting not to laugh at Lola's choice of attire. "Can I help with anything?"

Lola glanced over her shoulder from where she stood in front of the stove with a spatula in hand. The nice thing about magic was that it could really do everything. There were dirty dishes washing themselves, knives dicing fruit, French toast being made without a chef…everything, and in the middle of it stood Lola, spatula in hand, with a batch of pancakes next to her, swaying bouncily to the Beatles' "Wouldn't It Be Nice".

"I'm not allowed to let you cook in the kitchen," Lola replied. "Ever."

Natasha frowned. She wasn't _that _bad.

Lola answered the unanswered question, saying, "Apparently, there was something about a pot of water and some fire –"

"Who told you that?"

"Da –Clint," Lola stuttered, and Natasha didn't fail to notice what she had almost said. Lola gestured with her shoulder towards the coffee pot. "Coffee's ready if you want some. There's cream and milk in the fridge, sugar in the cabinet above the sink, but if you want something stronger, there's firewhiskey in the cupboard to the bottom left of the sink."

"Who puts alcohol in their coffee?"

Lola smirked as she turned back to the pancakes, flipping one with the same precise expertise that Natasha saw in Clint in those rare instances when he got up before her to make breakfast. "You'd be surprised if you came around during one of our early morning Order meeting. There's usually more people getting drunk than not."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Clint stopped in his tracks halfway into the kitchen as he surveyed the scene in front of him. Natasha sat at the bar, with a cup of coffee in hand, observing quietly as Lola danced around the kitchen, making an obscenely large amount of food.

His girls…

He liked the sound of that. His girls. It was crazy, he realized, a wonderful, amazing, insane, kind of crazy, how much he had come to depend on _them _being a constant presence in his life. In his job, where the possibility of getting killed weighed on your mind everyday, he'd learned not to take the presence of certain people for granted. Natasha, Coulson, and now Lola.

Lola. In so few days, she, the wild-mannered, redheaded, blue-eyed girl who was so unlike, yet _so like _himself and Natasha, had changed everything for him.

She was absolutely beautiful, so incredibly gorgeous, with a sharp mind and just as sharp, if not sharper, tongue that would have made even his own mother proud. She got that fierce spark in her eye whenever she got excited about something, which he knew came from Natasha. Lola was so…free, in her emotions, so expressive in her countenances when she allowed people to see them, but Clint could hardly guess at how much she really hid from people on a daily basis, how much she'd really been affected.

Thus, she was a fighter. But that was something he already knew. She was the only child of two legendary master assassins, and she had already been made into a legend herself. Of course, she would be a fighter.

And, as if the young woman in question could hear his thoughts, Lola paused in her pancake flipping, looked over her shoulder at him, the bun on top of her head bobbing in time to Mumford and Sons, and sent him a breathtaking smile.

"Morning!" she greeted cheerily.

"Hi," Clint replied. Then, observing the kitchen, "What's all this?"

"This?" Lola waved her free arm around. "This is the kitchen."

A plate of pancakes floated themselves to Natasha, who smiled and lifted a couple pieces of bacon off of another plate.

"Smartass," he muttered as he approached the stove to peer over Lola's shoulder, frowning as she moved to lift one off the pan. "That one's not done yet."

"You know, if you think my arse is so smart, you should really think about getting off of it and letting me cook breakfast in peace," Lola replied, rolling her eyes as she set the pancake back down on the pan.

Clint sent a confused, raised-eyebrow look at Natasha, who was smirking over the top of her coffee mug. He really wasn't used to being kicked out of the kitchen.

"Are you –"

"Coffee's next to the fridge," Lola cut him off, tilting her head in the direction of the coffee maker. "Cream and milk actually in the fridge, sugar's in the cabinet over there –" she pointed in the direction of the sink " –and firewhiskey's in the cupboard next to the sink."

Clint shot a questioning look to Natasha, but she shook her head silently, telling him not to bother asking.

"Where'd you learn how to cook?" Clint asked once he sat down next to Natasha, kissing his master assassin wife on the cheek as he did so with his coffee in hand.

"Taught myself," Lola replied, staring intently at a pancake. Deciding it was done, she flipped it expertly off the pan and onto a plate that already had three on it. She then levitated it smoothly to rest in front of Clint, who nodded his thanks before reaching for the syrup. "The Dursleys, they…they were real arses about making me cook. I learned really quickly how to cook pretty much anything at the drop of a hat. Now…it's almost a comfort thing, I guess."

Before either Natasha or Clint could reply, Bruce walked in, already fully dressed.

"Morning."

"Hiya."

* * *

When Collins Apparated into the kitchen at Grimmauld Place, she wasn't surprised to find Lola in a tensed, defensive position, anticipating her arrival.

Before Lola could even ask a question, Collins said smoothly, "The beach house in Maui –it's got a three car garage, housing a red Toyota Tundra and a yellow Camaro. Your favorite is the Tundra, because you say it makes you feel more powerful. Are those pancakes?"

"Yeah." Lola reluctantly handed her a plate.

"Thanks. Morning." She nodded to the two spies and Banner.

"Morning," Natasha replied, sipping her coffee.

"Mfforning," Clint said through a mouthful of pancakes.

"Hi." Bruce nodded.

"Steve around?" Collins asked. "We're supposed to have a date."

"The Capsicle has a date?" Tony asked loudly as he sauntered into the kitchen, dragging a yawning Pepper behind him. "Who would have known? Do I smell pancakes?"

Lola waved a hand and set the pancakes to cook themselves, before hopping up onto the countertop to keep watch over the cooking breakfast. "That would be an affirmative. Oh, Collins, he's probably still asleep."

"That's cool," she replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "I've got food."

"You are the best," Tony declared as he moved to kiss Lola affectionately on the cheek.

"I know." Lola looked towards Pepper, who was leaned up against the counter with a bleary look on her face. "Pepper, there's coffee ready. It's over there." She pointed over towards the fridge.

Pepper shot Lola a grateful look and moved wordlessly to the coffee.

"Thank God you had that ready, Princess," Tony muttered in Lola's ear as he jumped to sit next to her on the counter. "She doesn't function, rarely speaks, even, until her second cup."

"Funny," Lola replied. "I would have pegged you for the coffee addict."

"Only when I have a hangover." Tony smirked. She made a mock-scandalized look before grinning and bumping him with her shoulder. He bumped her shoulder right back. "What's on the agenda for the day?"

"You should take them to Diagon Alley, Lols," Collins spoke up from the table.

Lola made a face. "Hardly," she snorted. "Can you imagine the attention we'd attract? I can picture it on the front page of the Daily Prophet now."

"Thought you didn't read that rubbish," Collins replied.

"I don't. Still doesn't mean it would be pleasant walking through the crowd, though," Lola shot back.

"Point there. Take them to Hogsmeade."

Lola had to admit that she liked the sound of that. There weren't many people in Hogsmeade most days, and, she hoped, most of the shopkeepers would have seen her enough to not react in an overly excited manner when she walked in.

"That's a good idea," Lola agreed. "But has it been rebuilt?"

Collins shoved a piece of bacon in her mouth. "Mos' of it," she replied, chewing loudly. "The twins' just opened their Hogsmeade branch last week, though, remember?"

"I think I was laid up for most of that week." Lola set a couple of pancakes onto two plates before handing one each to Pepper and Tony.

At that moment, Steve walked into the room. Collins's mouth was still full of bacon and pancake when he caught sight of her, and if her skin hadn't been so dark, she would have blushed from head to toe at the amused smile he gave her.

"Hi."

Collins coughed once, and then swallowed heavily, putting a hand to her chest. "Hi." She smiled.

"You're early." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah." Collins nodded. "Lola makes good breakfast. If it wasn't for her and the Weasleys, I would probably eat most of my meals out."

The looks they were giving each other made the rest of the occupants of the room uncomfortable, so Lola decided to save the day by sending a plate loaded with pancakes to bump gently against Steve's back until he noticed it. He took it, saying "Thank you," to Lola, but looked between the pancakes, Natasha and Lola suspiciously.

"She's a much better cook than Natasha is," Bruce offered. "These are actually quite good."

Tony made a noise of agreement as he drowned his forkful of pancake in syrup and biting onto it.

"I'm not that bad -" Natasha began to protest.

"You're an awful cook," Pepper contested, pouring herself a third cup of coffee and looking much more alert than she had been.

Natasha went to open her mouth, but Thor walked in then with a booming, "Good morrow, my Midgardian friends!"

Lola giggled. "Good morning to you to!" she replied, handing him a large plate with at least ten pancakes on it.

He took it with a grin. "Thank you, young Lady Barton. Might you have any coffee?"

Lola tensed at the use of the name, but pointed him in the direction of the coffee with a smile. "'S over there," she replied somewhat hoarsely, taking a sip of her orange juice.

Everyone seemed to have noticed the name change, and so the kitchen grew quite quiet. The only sound came from the occasional banging of silverware and the sound of cooking foods.

That is, until Mrs. Weasley Apparated into the kitchen.

"Hello everyone!"

"Good morning Mrs. Weasley!" the group chorused.

"Lola, dear, Arthur and I were thinking –" Of course, when Mrs. Weasley mentioned herself and Mr. Weasley, she really only meant herself. Such were the ways of the Weasley matriarch " –that perhaps we would entertain your friends for the day so that you might have some one-on-one time with your parents."

Lola's eyebrows shot up to her bangs, and she began to choke on a strawberry as Clint and Natasha looked between each other and their daughter.

* * *

**A/N: Not really an action-y cliffie, but a cliffie in it's own right! HAHA!**

**But seriously, you guys, I am so sorry for leaving y'all hanging for such a long time, but between school and...everything else, I don't have much time. I had really wanted to do NaNoWriMo, but it's not looking like I'll have much time for that either, and I always have much more fun doing this, so I'm going to try to update at least once a month, and at least twice over the week of Thanksgiving (the one for the U.S!) since I'll probably spend most of that time acting like a hooligan with my friends.**

**Let's say...thirty reviews, and I will put the Loliver date in the next chapter. Possibly some kissing. **

**Anyhoo, I'm super excited -I've already got quite a bit of the next chapter planned out, and there will be a twist I swear to Merlin and the Allfather that you haven't seen!**

**Show me some love! **


	17. Parents, Mom and Dad and Dates

**A/N: Didn't own it yesterday. Don't own it today. Won't own it tomorrow, either. Catching my drift, yet?**

* * *

"So."

"So." Lola quirked an eyebrow and tilted the left side of her mouth in a small, crooked half-smile.

They were in the living room at Grimmauld Place, waiting for Natasha to finish getting dressed.

"You gonna let me in on your plans for the day?" Clint asked, leaning against the door frame.

Lola bit her lip and shook her head impishly. "Nope." Her grin grew wider at the sight of his obvious irritation. "You don't do well with surprises, do you? You'll have to put up with one for today, you know."

He shook his head. "Not typically. I don't like when I can't control a situation. I can only think of one off the top of my head that I was actually happy about."

"What was that?" Lola asked, shifting to put a booted foot in her lap.

Clint's gaze turned serious. "You."

The booted foot fell from Lola's thigh, hitting the floor with a _thunk _as her eyes widened. "Oh," she muttered, raising a hand to wipe messily at her eyes.

* * *

Watson stood in the back of Flourish and Botts, feigning interest in _101 Spells for Hair and Makeup _and drinking her daily cup of coffee in a to-go cup. In reality, she was observing avidly as Rookwood, in disguise, perused the shelves of the potion section. She had been waiting awhile to make this arrest, and was practically chomping at the bit to take him down.

Rookwood was disguised, most likely by Polyjuice Potion, as a tall, handsome Italian with cropped black hair and nearly black-brown eyes, which scanned the dark potions books with careful interest. He had been in a few times before; the store owner had noticed after awhile that he was always carrying a flask with him that, whenever he drank from it, caused his hair and skin to grow darker. The store owner had sent a letter to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and after doing a bit of reconnaissance, the DMLE had determined that the Italian man was actually Rookwood.

The rest of the Hit team was already stationed –Jack Curtis was posing as the homeless wizard on the street just outside the store, Michael Bones was smoking a cigarette as he walked up and down the street, and Harry Jameson was window shopping along the alley –along with the myriad of law enforcement that surrounded the alley.

Watson set the book down and made to move towards the exit at the same time that Rookwood turned to leave. She got to the door the same time as Rookwood did, "accidentally" spilling her coffee all down the front of his silk robes. Her cup clattered to the floor, the noise alerting the three other patrons in the store. They watched for a moment, but quickly lost interest and went back to their books.

"Oh –oh, shit!" Watson cried, whipping out her wand and pointing it at his robes. "Here, let me –_scourgify –_ I am so incredibly sorry!"

She shivered internally when Rookwood leered down at her, no doubt aiming for a look down her blouse as she bent over slightly to inspect his robes. "It is quite alright, my dear."

"No, no, really," she protested, waving the hand with the wand at the robes, which, because they were silk, weren't completely clean. "They're such nice robes, and I've just completely ruined them –oh! How much do I owe you?"

"For what?"

"For the robes, of course!"

He grinned lecherously. "Why don't you buy me a coffee, and we can call it even?"

Watson grinned internally at her success. She almost had him. Externally, though, she narrowed her eyes. "You're kidding. A nice wizard like you shouldn't ask to get coffee with a clumsy witch who's just spilled coffee all over him."

"Who ever said I was nice?" Rookwood replied, reaching for the door and pulling it open. "After you."

Watson sent him a seductive smile as she walked out the door and into the mostly empty alley. Rookwood followed after, and Watson was struck by a moment of panic when an arm that was definitely not Thor's slide around her waist. Thor's arm was big and warm, and always left Watson with the distinct feeling of wanting more. This guy's arm was muscled, sure, (which Watson was pretty sure was due to the Polyjuice), but it wasn't warm and it really left Watson with the distinct feeling of wanting to scrub several layers of skin off her body.

As they descended upon the street, Watson caught Curtis's eye. He gave an almost imperceptible nod as Rookwood said, "So, a girl as pretty as you has to have a pretty name."

From her point of view, Watson could also see Bones striding towards them, and she assumed that Jameson would be approaching from behind.

"My name?" she said, pulling her wand from her pocket and leaning to speak lowly into her ear. "My name is Agent Jennifer Holmes. You're going to Azkaban, Rookwood."

Immediately, he took a swing at her, and she was a hairs-breadth of a second too late to stop him from catching her across the side of her face with the back of his hand.

Watson's head whipped to the side, and her cheek stung with pain as her foot struck out and landed a hard knee to his groin. At the same time, she brought her wand arm forward and cried, "_Incarcerous!"_

She knew she was victorious when ropes shot out of nowhere and bound Rookwood where he stood. The few people who had actually been on the street quickly backed away, for which Watson was immensely thankful when Curtis, Jameson and Bones reached her within seconds.

"Nice shot there, Holmesy," Curtis said as he took hold of Rookwood and pushed him to his knees. "He got in a good swipe there, though."

"Perks of the job." Watson shrugged, glaring down at Rookwood, who merely smirked back.

"I should -" Rookwood laughed.

"Shut up," Jameson growled, not fazing Rookwood at all.

"I should have recognized you," he continued. "The black blood-traitor sheep of your family –"

"Yes, you should have," Watson replied sharply. "But you didn't. And now you're going to be locked up for the rest of your useless, miserable life. And you know what?" she asked suddenly, leaning forward until her mouth was next to his ear. "You'll probably even get the Kiss –and I'll be watching as that happens with a smile on my face, you pathetic son of a bitch."

Rookwood spat at her feet. Watson slapped him sharply. His face flew sideways, but all he did was laugh. "Your parents would be offended by your language, Carina." He tilted his head in a direction over Watson's shoulder. "Speak of the devil, eh?"

Watson gritted her teeth and gave a hard look at Curtis and Jameson. "Get this fucker out of here before I kill him."

They both nodded reluctantly. "You sure you can handle that?" Bones asked, watching the people that Rookwood had seen.

Watson sighed. "I've been handling them for years –I'm good."

Curtis and Jameson each seized one of Rookwood's arms and yanked him to his feet before apparating away, Bones following closely behind.

Watson straightened up, smoothing down the front of her shirt and straightening her blazer before turning around.

She was met with over six feet of aristocracy and pureblood supremacy, as well as five-foot-five inches of the same exact thing, but with more compassion in her features. "Can I help you?"

Lucius Malfoy's eyes lowered to her face, no doubt to watch her rapidly reddening cheek. "He will refuse to speak, you know. He won't say anything."

"Rookwood hasn't dealt with me before." Watson folded her arms across her chest. "I don't _need _him to say anything."

"He served the Dark Lord –"

"_That," _Watson interrupted, "Is not a problem for me. Or did you forget that I was raised by Death Eaters? I married one, for Merlin's sake. I know them –I know how the mind of a Death Eater works. It's why I happen to be so good at my job. Good day."

As Watson made a move to go by, Lucius stepped in front of her.

"Did you need something, Mr. Malfoy?" Watson stared him hard in the eye, the extra three inches of height afforded to her by her black heels giving her extra courage.

Her obvious defiance was something that Lucius Malfoy was obviously not used to. He seemed to search for words before answering, "Draco misses you."

"Why?" Watson spat. "He hasn't got his parents pureblooded ideals to keep him company? Will you disown him now, too?"

"No ideals could replace his sister," Narcissa replied quietly.

Watson snorted. "Yeah? Well, you know what? You should have thought about that before you called me an ungrateful whore, kicked me out of the manor, and told me never to speak to any of you ever again."

"You dare –"

Narcissa put a hand out to stop her husband from going on a rant that would, no doubt, escalate the situation. "Please don't punish Draco for our mistakes."

Watson let out a bark of laughter. "I'm not punishing him. I'm simply following orders the way I was taught. You should be proud of me for being such a good little pureblooded girl."

With that, she turned on her heel and Apparated back to the Ministry.

* * *

"This is Hogsmeade," Lola said as Natasha and Clint attempted to recover from the sudden Apparation. "And it's, umm –hey, are you guys alright?"

"The hell was that?" asked Natasha as she bent over and put her hands on her knees.

"Apparation," Lola answered. "It's basically teleportation."

"Yeah, well, I can see what Steve was complaining about right now," Clint groaned. "I think I might puke. How are you not affected by this?"

"Please," Lola scoffed. "I've been doing this for at least two years. Give me some credit –I know what I'm doing. You get used to it after awhile."

"I'm not sure I want to," Natasha muttered as she finally stood upright.

"Yeah, well, we have to Apparate to get back, so…"

"You serious?" Clint raised an eyebrow.

Lola nodded. "Unless you want to walk back to England."

"What do you mean 'walk back to England'?" asked Natasha. "Where are we?" She cast a glance at the tiny village.

"Northern Scotland," Lola replied nonchalantly. "Dufftown's about ten miles west, and London's over four hundred miles south-southeast of here." She pointed to her right. "My school –Hogwarts –is a few miles up that way. Everyone used to come down here on the weekends and hang out. I've got some really, _really _good memories here." She held out a hand, blue eyes serious and in question. "I'd like to make some new ones."

* * *

When Watson arrived back in the apartment she shared with Collins, which happened to be just across the street from Grimmauld Place, the first thing she did was throw her shoes through the mirror in the hallway.

"Motherfucking _world!" _she shouted. "Why?"

"Watson?" Collins skidded around the corner and into the hall, Steve on her heels. Alarmed, she took in the broken mirror, the shoes on the floor and Watson's angered appearance. "Merlin, what the hell happened?"

"Lucius and Narcissa MALFOY happened, that's what happened!" Forgetting that she didn't have shoes on, Watson took one step forward and a piece of glass embedded itself in her foot. "FUCK!" Watson cried as pain shot through her foot.

Steve, careful to avoid the glass, strode towards her and slid an arm around her waist, starting to help her towards the large kitchen. "Bad day?"

"You could say that, and then more," Watson replied as she sat down heavily on the bench in the kitchen, panting in pain. "A hell of a lot more."

* * *

_Time lapse…_

Natasha had barely set foot inside her and Clint's apartment at StarkTower when JARVIS said, "Mrs. Romanoff-Barton, your daughter is in the living room. She appears to be in quite a panic."

"Is she alright?" Natasha asked concernedly, performing an abrupt about-face and heading back to the door.

"Physically, yes, but I do believe that she has a date with the young Mr. Wood tonight."

Natasha grinned as she stepped into the hallway.

When she arrived at the living room, she came face-to-face with an entertaining scene.

"Honey, maybe you should sit down. You're going to make yourself dizzy –"

"I'm already dizzy, Bruce!" Lola cried, adjusting the towel-turban she had on her head as she continued to pace. "The party is in three and a half hours and I have no idea what I'm even going to wear!"

Steve leaned forward in his chair. "I don't understand," he said. "Why are you worrying about how long you have to get ready when you've got three and a half hours to –"

Lola's eyes flashed. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, Steve. You would understand if you had actually decided to go." Then, she caught sight of Natasha watching from the corner. "OH, thank Merlin! I need your help in the most desperate of ways!"

"Come on," Natasha told Lola, smiling and tilting her head in the direction of her apartment.

* * *

"You nervous?"

"A bit," Lola replied as Natasha pinned her hair off her face. "Not for the date, though; more for the party part. I want to make a good impression."

"I don't think that's something you should be worried about," Natasha said as she slid a final bobby pin into Lola's hair. "You tend to make good impressions on people, Lola-girl."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. There aren't many people that Nick Fury will express his like for, you know."

"Yeah, well that's just one person," Lola muttered. "There'll be like thirty or forty people at this party."

"If it really goes _that _badly, just remind them that you're the Chosen One." Natasha grinned as she spun Lola's chair around to face the mirror. "That'll brighten them right up."

Lola's mouth dropped open.

"Did anyone ever tell you that if you weren't a spy, you could make a fabulous career in makeup?"

"Nope, but it's a nice thought."

Lola's hair was put up into a high bun, with her bangs pulled back as well, away from her face. Her makeup was all soft and smoky; her eyes were done in golds and browns, and her cheeks had the slightest amount of blush added to them. Her lips had a small amount of shimmery nude lip gloss on, though Lola was sure that it wouldn't last.

"I wasn't sure if you'd want me to cover up the scar," Natasha noted. "I can cover it, if you want –"

"Leave it." Lola tilted her head to the side. "It's part of who I am."

"Alright. What do you have for dresses?"

"Oh, God," was all Lola could say as she waved a hand and brought her purse flying forward. "There's so many, I really don't know what to do."

She opened it, and stuck her hand in far farther than it appeared than she should have been able to, and pulled out four dresses hung on hangers.

Natasha barely looked at all of the dresses before pointing at one. "That one."

Lola frowned. "You didn't even look at all of them."

"Trust me." Natasha nodded at the dress. "That's the one."

"But I really don't like this thing right here," Lola pointed out, tossing the other dresses back in the bag and fingering the train on the one that Natasha had picked out. "I'm going to trip over that all night, and I'll end up tearing the thing in two."

"We own scissors," Natasha replied, "For a reason."

Lola seized the dress and ran into the bathroom, coming out barely two minutes later saying, "Can you zip me?"

Natasha did so with expert efficiency, and smiled when Lola turned around. "That- that is the dress."

It was a gauzy, nude-colored long-sleeved dress, with a silver flowered pattern down the front. The train in the back was something that Natasha quickly cut off, and then the dress showed off Lola's magnificently long legs and elegant neck, with the way that her hair was swept off her shoulders.

"You look beautiful. Did you bring shoes?"

"Just one," Lola replied. "Luckily, they go with the dress."

She waved her hand again, and a pair of studded nude booties flew into her hands. They were, of course, charmed with a Cushioning Charm to remain comfortable all night long.

"I think you've got yourself an outfit, there," Natasha noted with a grin.

"Has anyone ever told you that you rock?" Lola asked. "Because you totally do, you know. Like, beyond rock. It's probably more along the lines of super-duper, kick-ass, out of this world kind of things."

"It's probably genetic. I'm surprised Steve didn't want to go with Collins to the event."

Lola shrugged. "She said something about it 'not being his scene', and that she relieved him of that duty as a favor." Lola laughed as she slid the shoes on. She checked her watch. "I've got, like, a half-hour to kill before I have to go back."

"You should go see your…father," Natasha replied. "He's down in the lab with Tony, working on some kind of new arrow. He'd like to see you."

"Is that really a good idea? The arrows, I mean?"

"Male bonding time." Natasha sat down on the edge of the bed. "Unless someone's physically injured, no one else gets involved."

"Alright, I'll go do that, then," Lola replied as she walked to the door. As an afterthought, as she arrived at the door, she turned around. "Thanks, mum."

Natasha's eyebrows would have shot up past her hairline, if they could. "For what?"

"Girl time." Lola shrugged. "It's not often that I get to do it."

She smiled and left.

"To the lab, JARVIS," Lola said as she walked into the elevator.

"Of course, Ms. Potter."

Lola barely had time to slide on her black trench coat and attempt to whistle the chorus of "Stacy's Mom" before the elevator arrived at the lab.

She wasn't surprised to hear a lot of yelling as she walked in, followed by several thunks and more yelling. "Hello?"

Tony stuck his head out from around the corner, and he was covered in grease and soot, as well as some. "Hey, princess."

"Hi."

"You look nice."

"Thanks."

"Going somewhere tonight?"

She smirked. "You could say that."  
His face took on a distasteful look. "Right. The Irish idiot –"

"He's Scottish, actually, and he's also very smart and very nice."

"So says you," Clint replied as he came around the corner in much the same condition as Tony, only carrying his bow. "Hiya, cupcake."

Lola's nose wrinkled. "Cupcake? _Really?"_

He grinned. "Yeah. You don't like it?"

"Not particularly, no."

"How about dumpling?" Tony suggested.

"Not unless you wanted me to systematically destroy everything in this room."

"Gumdrop," Clint added, catching onto the game.

Lola grinned. "Not on your life."

"Sweetie-pie."

"No way, José."

"Shortie."

"I'm not the shortest person in the family."

"Bubba."

"Seriously?"

"Apparently not."

And on and on it went: Dodge, Lo, La, Lay, Bean, Cowgirl, Curly, Kitten (to which Lola vehemently declined), until Lola checked the time once more and realized that she had to go.

"But why would you want to go out with the Irish –"

"Scottish."

"Whatever. Why would you want to go out with the Scottish airhead when you could hang with us?"

"Because I happen to like the Scottish airhead," Lola replied. "I've been hanging out with you all week, you know."

"Tired of us already?" Tony asked.

"No," Lola protested. "I'll hang with you tomorrow."

"It's not the same."

As delicately as she could without covering herself in grease, she skipped forward, kissed both Tony and Clint on the cheeks.

"Bye Bug!"

Lola pointed at Clint as she backed away. "No. Absolutely not. Bye, Tony."

"Bye, princess."

"Bye, dad."

And then she was gone.

* * *

**A/N: I know that I promised the Loliver date this chapter, but it just COULDN'T be done. So you'll have to make do with this. I'm thinking that I might start an outside blog, which would contain pictures of outfits and things like that. If I were to write more...mature scenes, I'd probably put them there, too, so that this story doesn't get taken down here. What do you guys think?**

**Love it? **

**Hate it?**

**Tell me about it! Unless you hate it. Flames will be ignored, and instead used to roast marshmallows, which will then fill my tummy with delicious smores. **

**Happy Thanksgiving to all you Yanks out there! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone else as well, but I don't know when that is for other countries, so...yeah.**

**Aca-awkward.**


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